Redemption: Afterwards
by Calliope-Beautiful Voiced
Summary: Compilation of one-shots that takes place after the events of my previous fic 'Redemption'. Summaries and descriptions inside.
1. Optimus Prime

**Hello! What's up? As I promised, I'm uploading the one-shots I wrote whenever I needed to take a break from my previous fic** ** _Redemption_** **.**

 **Now, this is how things are going to be: each story will circle around a different character, and will have a different genre. Each of them will have its own summary, and genre detailed in each post, ok?**

 **The ones I already have are: Optimus Prime (which I'm uploading now), Starscream & Shockwave (who will share the spotlight), Drift, Hot Rod, Ultra Magnus (which I might rewrite soon), Thundercracker, Ratchet, Elita, Sunscorch, Arcee, Ironhide, Fowler, Bumblebee, and Knock Out. Then, the ones in which I'm working on are: Miko, Millie and Pharma. Sometime in the future I might write the rest of the team (Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Chromia, Jack, Raf, Nightglider); also, I would like to give a closure for the Dinobots and the Predacons... Anyway I CAN'T promise that I will write them all, ok?  
**

 **Plus, I have to warn you, since my holidays has completely ran out. I'll try (stress the 'try') to upload one story each week, but there are big chances that you'll have to wait longer. Just saying...**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Being informed about Cybertron's political situation, Optimus decides that it's time for him to honor his entitlement as Prime, and have a meeting with the new Council._ (Takes place between the chapters 'Till All Are One part 2' and the 'Epilogue' from my previous fic, _Redemption_ )

 **Genre:** Drama  & Humor

* * *

 **-OPTIMUS PRIME-**

 **Back in Business**

The Councilmen faces at the sight of Optimus entering the room was beyond priceless, and even Ultra Magnus couldn't help but to try to cover a chuckle by coughing, pretending he was clearing his throat. But it was nothing compared to the face they made when the blue and red mech announced that the Matrix has chosen a new Prime, and gestured Hot Rod ―now known as Rodimus Prime― to walk closer to him. Things weren't going well for them… The Council never counted with two Primes showing up; and right after an armed conflict, nothing else!

Oh, but that was the _last_ of their problems…

Optimus wasn't just angry to know what these bots were planning for Cybertron's future. Oh, no. He was _pissed_. Didn't these guys learn anything from the war? Can't they see where a new caste system would lead them to? He might've not been important enough before to make the Senators listen, but, as a Prime, they didn't have another choice now. So, frowning, the tall mech walked up to the balcony where the Council was sitting, and, taking a deep vent, he started to give them a little piece of his mind.

"Members of the Council of Cybertron, I have been informed about some concerning measures that this court has taken since the end of the war. And, though I do not wish to believe it, after seeing the planet's situation, I have no choice but to admit that my fears proves to be true." Optimus started, the clerk he used to be taking over his speech.

"We… do not understand…" One of the Councilmen said with trembling voice. If they couldn't convince at least one of these two Primes to follow them, then all their work would've been for nothing.

"I'm talking about the caste system." The blue and red mech clarified, his frown intensifying.

The room was filled with Autobots of all kind, including the Dinobots, who went to the meeting just to corroborate that Optimus Prime was back. All of them were internally cheering the Prime's words, hoping that he would put those bags of rust in check; and Ultra Magnus was among that group, enjoying every single time that the Councilmen's faces turned a shade paler. A couple smiles escaped his lips whenever those good-for-nothing bots lost ground in the debate; and he could _swear_ that he heard Prowl cheering the former clerk, next to his brothers.

Optimus heard the old mechs' reasons to want the old system back; however, he didn't _listened_ a word they said, knowing that their true motives were the same from eons ago: to enlarge their richness, at expenses of their people. Thanks to his life as a librarian, the blue and red mech was well-aware that Kaon used to be populated by laborers that worked in factories and distilleries… until the city's Senator decided to automatize the facilities, leaving half the population without work. Megatron ―a former miner― and Soundwave ―who worked in a factory― between those bots. The whole slagging conflict could've been avoided, if the caste system would've provided those people some sort of way out of the streets; some job they could've taken after losing the previous one! But, no. They only offered them the gladiatorial pits… The older Prime couldn't say he was surprised of seeing how fast the Decepticons grew in numbers; not after knowing that more than the half of them were bots that Megatron picked up from the streets.

Suddenly realizing that he wasn't paying attention to the Councilmen's speech, Optimus forced himself to come back to reality; only to notice that they were still trying to give him reasons of why the old system was viable now.

Ok. He got enough.

"Members of the Council, you seem to forget who you're talking with." The tall mech interrupted, closing his optics and slightly shaking his head in disapproval. "I was once Orion Pax, a clerk that spent his days working at the Hall of Records, researching about our society's situation. I often spoke to the previous Council about it, trying to convince your predecessors that the caste system was doing nothing but bringing chaos and misery among our people." He looked up to the old bots, his frown still deep and meaningful. "None of them paid attention to my words, and vorns after I started my meetings with the Senators, a war exploded on our planet." The Prime scanned their faces, before continue: "The caste system has proven to be unsuitable. For so, I reinforce my beliefs that all Cybertronians should and must be treated equally, and respectfully; regardless of their city or colony of origin."

It was impossible to describe the smiles that appeared behind Optimus's back, on the faces of all the bots who were listening to his speech. Bumblebee, who was among them, chuckled.

Yup. The old Prime was back in business.

"But… then…" One of the Councilmen stammered at the speech, only to be gestured to remain silent by the blue and red mech, who wasn't finished.

"Though it's not the most efficient way, I understand that the Council's existence is necessary. However, I do not believe for the best that said Council doesn't count with some representatives of _both_ factions." Optimus commented, receiving horrified faces… almost from everyone. Nonetheless, there were a few who looked at him in awe, surprised for his sudden statement… Drift among those people.

"The Decepticons started the war that destroyed our home!" Another Councilmen yelled, jumping off his seat, and slamming the table in front of him with both hands.

"Indeed. But we cannot ignore that plenty of them were deceived to enlist themselves into the faction's ranks; nor that, many others, joined them due to their desperation for fuel." Optimus quickly retorted.

"Oh, is that so…?" One of the Councilmen snickered.

"It was my case, sir." Drift hurried to say, taking a step forward, and gaining everyone's attention. "I spent entire deca-cycles on the streets surviving as a burglar, stealing to eat." He averted his eyes at the memory. "I also lost a friend in the hands of the Senate's guards…" The knight added, and kept a minute of silence in respect. "Megatron didn't have to do much to convince me to join them."

"It's different. You left the Decepticons and switched factions." One of the Councilmen said, trying to dismiss the warrior's words.

"Precisely." Optimus pointed at the old bot's commentary. "And Drift wasn't the only one who abandoned the Decepticon cause, after realizing that their leader didn't act according to his promises. Two more former Decepticons are present in this room as witnesses of my words." He said, gesturing to Ambulon and Knock Out. "Now: I realize we cannot force anyone into it; forgiveness and redemption must be wanted by the person itself, it is a choice that must be taken freely after recognizing their mistakes." The Prime admitted. "Even when the possibilities of finding a Decepticon who actually regrets his previous actions are low, we cannot ignore that such thing may happen. But they must know that such option does exist."

The room submerged in a tense silence, in which the blue and red mech eyed the Council, making sure they didn't dismissed his words just because it didn't pleased them, nor their interests.

Finally, the old politicians gave in and approved Optimus's idea, saying that they'll make sure that all the Decepticon prisoners knew about their chance to prove themselves as good citizens, _as long_ as they showed regret for what they did. However, they made sure to stress the fact that all those who wished to have this opportunity of redemption would have to face trial, and pass a period of parole. Basically: do what Knock Out did. The older Prime found such terms fair, and simply nodded.

The Councilmen sighed in relief. For a nanoklik they thought that their meeting with the former clerk would be harder…

And they were _right_.

As soon as the debate about change the politic system was over, Optimus decided to talk about some other issues; such as Cybertron's unquestionable bonds with Earth, due to their previous discoveries; plus, the fact that there were two high ranked (and highly dangerous) Decepticons at large in said planet. Also, and talking about the runaway 'Cons, he also mentioned that some of them stole a few spaceships and hid among the stars during the prison breakout. And, all this was without mention the fact that, now, there were two Primes; thing that, also, had to be debated…

When the old bots that composed the Council started to shiver in fear at the list of matters to discuss, Optimus couldn't help but smirk pleased.

It was _so_ good to be back…

* * *

 **First one, done. Sorry if you find it kind of boring or something alike, but this was the first thing that came to my mind when I thought about Optimus...  
**

 **P.S.: The idea of the Council counting with some representatives of both factions, came out of the comic too; however, I believed this to be more realistic than just say that, for some crazy reason, all Cybertron was fine with putting Starscream as king... Besides, in the comics are some 'Cons that hangs around with 'Bots (in Blurr's bar at least).**

 **Please, let me know what you think.**

 **See you next time. Bye!  
**


	2. Shockwave & Starscream

**Hello again!**

 **Sympathy! Hi! Ha, ha! I missed you too; and, yeah, I guessed that you wouldn't agree with Optimus's ideals, but he's one of my favorites, so... Sorry, but I will stick to his character. ^^ Although, I'm not sure whether Ultra Magnus would've arrested you or not; after all, I implied that everyone in the room kind of gasped in horror at the idea of freeing more 'Cons...**

 **By the way, I fixed the genres of that story, because you were right: it was supposed to be Drama (the Council and the political matter)** ** _and_** **Humor (everything else). I missed to explain the second one... :P**

 **And, hello to the guest who signed the previous one-shot! I'm glad you liked it!**

 **Now, let's keep going, shall we?**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _They thought that everything would end with their incarceration..._ _Unfortunately, Ultra Magnus is a mech of word… and he made a little promise to some old friends…_

 **Genre:** Humor

* * *

 **-SHOCKWAVE & STARSCREAM-**

 **Karma**

The silver grey Seeker was whining at his prison cell, which he had to share with the chief scientist, who was the only one in silence at that place. Some of the guards were wondering whether he was really patient, or simply unplugged his audio-receptors; because Starscream's complaints were a constant flood that was making all of them reconsider letting him conscious. Perhaps nobody would notice if he was suddenly put into stasis by mistake…

"Is anyone listening?! I demand to talk to the Council!" The air commander kept yelling at the uninterested guards. "You, there! Open this force field now, and take me to the Council room! I said _now_!" He ordered pointing at some random drone that passed by the corridor, making his rounds.

"It makes you wonder how Megatron put up with him, doesn't it?" Another ward told to his partner, sighing tiredly.

"It makes me wonder how the scrap he became commander to begin with." The other one commented.

Shockwave, meanwhile, was simply leaning against the wall, going over his plan.

It would've worked perfectly, if it wasn't for the sudden appearance of Optimus Prime. By now, he would be heading the Scientific Board, while manipulating Starscream, who would be living his dream of ruling over Cybertron. He didn't considered the blue and red mech into the equation, because he was one with the AllSpark, and there's no way back from there… Unless someone administrated him a dose of Dark Energon; but he knew it wasn't the case. Besides, no Autobot that respects himself would manipulate such substance…

The Prime's revival simply defied all logic.

"Ugh… Stop pouting, and help me to find a way out of this fragged cell!" The Seeker suddenly ordered him.

"And I thought that you liked to share things."

The comment made them look up, noticing that Ultra Magnus and Jazz were standing outside their cell; the white mech was smirking, holding a pair of stasis cuffs, while the commander went to open the force-field. Once the barrier deactivated, the lieutenant ordered the 'Cons to show him their hands, and prepare to be mobilized.

Starscream arched an eyebrow.

"Are you taking us to the common cell?" The commander asked, while Jazz put the stasis cuffs around his wrists.

"You're not so lucky, Screamer." The white mech chuckled.

Shockwave simply remained silent, seeing how the blue Wrecker cuffed him, making sure that his cannon went deactivated, and, then, patiently let the two officers take him and the Seeker towards another facility. He recognized the place as a warehouse, where the guards keeps the Energon that feeds the prison; but, for some odd reason, it was completely emptied. At the sight, only a few options appeared on his processor of why these two Autobots would take them there in the middle of the night, and none of them were good. But, they wouldn't do it, right? This was more a Decepticon thing to do; the Autobots would never play like this with their prisoners. They were safe, weren't they? Or, maybe, they simply pushed their luck too much, tiring Ultra Magnus enough to make him take this measures, never minding his affiliation?

Turning to look at his companion, the violet mech was capable to see that Starscream noticed the only logical reasons to bring them to such place too; and he was already trying to negotiate with their captors. He promised to give them any information they wanted about the Decepticon army, in exchange of his life. Shockwave had to admit that his offers were reasonable, and that, if accepted, it would keep them both alive a bit longer. He had top secret information logged on his processor; things that no even the air commander knew. If he could bargain it for his life, he would do it.

"I'm not interested in your lies, Starscream." Ultra Magnus suddenly said, pushing the mech away, and turning to leave. Jazz followed him closely.

"What…? Wait! Where are you going?!" The Seeker asked, frowning in rage. Where they planning to abandon them there?!

"I'm a mech of word, and I made a couple promises that I'm not planning to break." The commander answered, opening the door that would lead them to the insides of the prison facility. However, he turned one more time to look into the warehouse. "Once you're done, tell Jazz. I have paperwork to do." He said, before disappear through the door.

"None of this ever happened, so… Have as much fun as you want! Just remember to leave them alive." Jazz said, once he was at the doorframe. "Man, I wish I could see it…" He added, mumbling and complaining, while leaving right after the Wrecker.

The two 'Cons shared a quizzical look, not really understanding what was going on… Until a heavy vent was heard at the other side of the room, where the light was really dim, and the shadows covered everything. Slowly turning around, both mechs tried to distinguish something in there; but they sure didn't expect to see _them_.

Suddenly three golden symbols, and three pairs of yellow optics glowed in the darkness, revealing the presence of Predaking and his brethren, who started to walk towards the commander's trembling figure. The trio scoffed at the sight, while approaching the Seeker in a threatening way.

"So, you _did_ survive our last encounter." The leader of the three beasts said.

Shaking, at the verge of a spark-attack, Starscream's pedes stumbled upon themselves, and the grey Seeker ended up falling onto his back. The three Predacons, seeing this, prepared their claws.

"Too bad Ultra Magnus told us to let you live." Darksteel said.

"And I must understand that you will keep your promise to him?!" The grey mech wondered in utter panic.

"It's the honorable thing to do. After all, he has kept all his promises towards us." Predaking conceded.

"But don't misunderstand, _commander_ ; this is gonna hurt… _a lot_." Skylynx warned the mech, before the three Predacon's jumped onto him.

Shockwave was debating whether he should help his fallen comrade or not, when something hit him right on his midsection, sending him flying to the nearer wall; a loud crash could be heard when his body made contact with the surface. Distracted with his companion's situation, he missed to notice five figures that got out of the shadows, and concentrated in him. However, as he rose his optic, the scientist didn't have trouble recognizing his attackers; especially when a grey and golden mech of red visor grabbed him by the throat, and pulled him up, forcing the scientist to look at his aggressor's face.

Again, it was illogical. They couldn't have survived this long in this planet!

"Grimlock…" The one-eyed Decepticon muttered out loud, like trying to convince himself that the warrior in front of him was real.

"Hello, Shockwave. It's been eons." The leader of the Dinobots said, before throw him with all his might.

As soon as he hit the ground, the five mechs pounded onto his frame, pinning him down. Even when he erased his feelings to think faster, Shockwave had to admit that he was terrified at the moment; knowing that these individuals would do ten times to him, what he did to them.

"Heh, heh… He still has that cannon, Grim!" Slag laughed, while holding onto the violet mech's left arm.

"Do you remember when you did that to him?" Snarl asked, kind of overexcited.

Shockwave looked at his limb at the mention of _that day_ , when the Dinobots managed to escape his facilities for the first time. Engage the leader of the team, trying to safe some of his work, was an idiocy; but, back then, all he cared was keeping one of his experimental subjects, just not to lose everything. Of course that he didn't count with two factors: the, already, amazing fighting skills of his prisoner; and the modifications he performed on the subject…

His cannon was a permanent reminder to him of being more careful in future experiments.

"Forget the arm." Grimlock's voice brought the chief scientist back to reality. "Tonight, I want the _head_." The Dinobot's red visor met Shockwave's red optic.

If he was capable of gesticulate, his face would've been contorted in plain horror…

In a sad attempt to save his aft, Shockwave tried to break free.

"What's the hurry?" Sludge mocked him, patting onto the scientist's chest. "The party is barely starting…"

"Yeah. After all, we kind of remember that you wanted beasts, didn't ya?" Swoop smirked.

"Let us show you how much of a beast we can be…" Grimlock snarled, while bending over their prisoner.

… … …

Outside the door, Jazz could hear the roars of the Predacons and Dinobots mixed with the terrified screams of the two 'Cons they dropped into that warehouse.

But, truth be said, nobody could say that Ultra Magnus didn't keep his word.

Smiling, the white lieutenant suddenly had a funny thought about this whole thing: "Karma is a bitch."

* * *

 **Second one, done! The idea of this one came from when Ultra Magnus asks the Predacons for help, and, also, sends them to recruit the Dinobots. I came to realize that they wouldn't have agreed to help, unless the commander promised to let them 'set the scores' with these two...**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **Oh, and, since Sympathy asked for it; here comes a little spoiler: the next one-shot is... Drums please! ... DRIFT!**

 **Here's the Summary: _"Chasing after the 'Cons who ran away during the breakout, Drift decides that it's time to have a heart-to-heart with an old friend of his…"_**

 **See ya next time!  
**


	3. Drift

**Hi! How are you doing? I'm fine!**

 **So... I have some free time now, reason why I decided to upload the next one-shot! Yay! Though, this one is shorter and isn't a funny one as the others... Sorry. Hope you like it anyway...**

 **Sympathy Effect :**

 **Haha! Yup! Starscream can be a real pain in the aft... Those guards deserves a rise in their paychecks! I bet they all thanked when Ultra Magnus and Jazz took him away *Several drones appears in the background nodding at the statement* And, although I'm against violence, it felt kind of good to put Screamer and Shockwave in that tough position; I'm not going to deny it.**

 **Yes, I had to write the 'paperwork' thing with Magnus... Especially because I noticed that I haven't yet used Ratchet's well-known yell (I needed that!).**

 **I'm glad you liked Jazz, although... I haven't yet wrote a story for him... *Immediately starts to plot something for the lieutenant* Ugh! Stop giving me ideas! Poor characters! (XD)**

 **And yes. The Predacons and the Dinobots are now living with everybody else (I've already wrote Predaking's one-shot -w-).**

 **To the two Guests :**

 **Thank you for your support! Sorry if you find this one-shot too short...**

 **TheCasualReader: (in Optimus's one-shot)**

 **Haha! To be honest, I kind of forgot about the hugging scene in 'Parenting'. Unfortunately, I already wrote Bumblebee's story, and although there will be a connection to that fic, it won't be a mention of the hug. However, I wrote the question as a wink to Disney's** ** _Mulan_** **(1998), when Mulan hugs the Emperor, and Yaoh, in the background, asks "Is it allowed to do that?" So, let's just say that, if the Prime itself is fine with it, one is allowed to give him a bear hug!**

 **Plus, it was cute to imagine baby 'Bee hugging Optimus! ^^**

 **BetterWay :**

 **Oh... I... I've been recommended?! O_O Wow... I didn't see that coming. *Suddenly suspects of Sympathy* It was you, wasn't it? XD**

 **Hello! I hope that you'll like my way of writing!**

 **Glad you like my humor, but, I must warn you, not** ** _all_** **my one-shots will be lighthearted... Some will belong to other genres, such as this one.**

 **And... Nope. It's not Rodimus.**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Chasing after the 'Cons who ran away during the breakout, Drift decides that it's time to have a heart-to-heart with an old friend of his…_

 **Genre:** Angst  & Friendship

* * *

 **-DRIFT-**

 **Honor**

It took him several minutes of driving in the dry and scorching desert, but, in the end, it was worth it. Reaching his destination, the orange and white car transformed into a Cybertronian mech, who was carrying a large sword on his back.

"Hey, there. Sorry for haven't come until now, I… didn't know whether I should or not." Drift said with a soft smile. Then, he looked around; nothing but sand and rocks was visible in miles, though the glass dome of the city was not too far away, shinning in the sunlight. It was more beautiful than he remembered. "I gotta say it: you chose one heck of a view. This is great. Oh! Atlas told me where to find you, by the way; I hope you don't mind, I mean… I don't think you expected to see me ever again after what happened. I know he didn't…" Chuckling, the knight closed his optics and sat on the ground. "Oh, you should've seen Atlas's face when I walked out the space-bridge! I thought he was going to faint! Ha, ha! But, after the surprise, he actually welcomed me." He looked to his left, smirking. "Can you believe that? After the way he always treated me, he was the first one in greet me! If I wouldn't have lived it, I wouldn't have believed it!" Then, he looked to the city's dome, as the silence fell upon him. He sat more comfortably, resting his left arm on his knee junction, while relying his weight on his right arm. The memories from when he found New Crystal City, on his last days as a Decepticon, resurfaced on his processor. So many things changed since then… "I came here to thank you, actually. You know, for giving me another chance…" Sighing, he averted his eyes. "I still don't understand why you chose to do it, but thank you. You changed my life forever; and, thanks to you, I'm finally free." Drift's eyes were suddenly fixed in the horizon. The sun was so strong that he needed to squint his optics at the bright landscape. "I also came here to tell you that… I might not be able to come for a while. You'll see: some 'Cons ran away from Cybertron, and are now hiding among the stars; in fact, one of our scanners showed that a few of them were coming towards here, which is why I decided to pass by to say hi." He bitterly chuckled and covered his forehead with his left hand. "Boy, I shouldn't have said that… Sorry." Then, he looked to his side with a tender smirk. "Nevertheless, I'm not planning to let them find the city, so you don't have to worry. I'm not in this alone either, in case you're wondering; some new friends of mine came along. Their names are Jazz and Crosshairs, they're really good people. 'Hairs has his temper, but he means well. You would've liked them." Suddenly, his commlink pinged. It was time to return with the team. Sighing, Drift got on his feet. "I gotta go now."

Dusting himself off, the knight turned to walk away… but looked back one last time, while kneeling down to gently touch a square of stone that had only one word carved on it, in Cybertronian code.

It was the name of a mech: Wing.

"Thank you for helping me defeat my past… Good bye."

* * *

 **Third one, done!  
**

 **Sorry, I _had_ to do some mentioning of Wing. Sorry if it was a little too sad...**

 **Our next bot in line is... *Dramatic pause* Ratchet!**

 **Spoiler: _Having some free time, Ratchet intends to complete his latest research. However, when one of the children comes to him for advice, the medic's priorities soon change…_**

 **See you! Please let me know what you think!  
**


	4. Ratchet

**Hello, guys! What's up?**

 **Sympathy** **:**

 **No, Sympathy, I'm not a freelancer; it's just that it was late night, and I was bored, so I decided to update a little bit earlier. By the way, the 'idea' about Jazz, evolved into something else... Thanks to it, I'm actually writting a story for Crosshairs, who wasn't in my plans... at all...**

 **About Pharma, let's just say that he'll meet a Decepticon medic (not Knock Out) in jail.**

 ***Suddenly sees a large line of Cybertronians and some humans* What the...? *Follows the line, finding Optimus surrounded by lots of people and Megatron taking pictures* Okay... Not sure if I want to know what's going on here...**

 **Optimus: *completely pinned on the spot by the people* Help me... T_T**

 **Oh, boy... Alright, people. Back off! Don't make me call Elita-One! *At the mention of the pink femme, the crowd disappears* And, Megatron, I want that camera and those pictures lost, understood? No blackmailing in my watch.**

 ***Goes back to the messenges* Where was I? Oh, yes! I'm glad you liked Drift's story! I liked his comic, though I felt bad for Wing's termination; so I decided to, at least, mention him. I think it was the shortest fanfic I ever wrote... O_O**

 **And about Ratchet, yup. He stood back on Earth; but he wasn't the only one, all the bots will choose to spent time with the kids, so expect more of it in the nearby future!**

 **TheCasualReader :**

 **Drift thanks you the hug, and so does Optimus... though he's still a litte scared for the amount of people who wanted to hug him...**

 **To the Guest :**

 **Thank you! I'm glad you like my one-shots!**

 **By the way, you're right; the Autobots' symbol does kind of resemble a crying face... I didn't notice before, but it's true!**

 **Alright, let's keep going!**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there may be some grammar mistakes here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Transformers_ franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary** : _Having some free time, Ratchet intends to complete his latest research. However, when one of the children comes to him for advice, the medic's priorities soon change…_ (Takes place between the chapter 'Till All Are One part 2' and the Epilogue of my previous fic _Redemption_ )

 **Genres:** Family  & Friendship

* * *

 **-RATCHET-**

 **Science Project**

With the team finally together, Optimus back, Knock Out kliks away from total freedom, and the Decepticon threat gone for a long while, Ratchet soon found himself silently working on his researches. The children weren't at the base, and the team members were minding their own business; so the medic had some time for himself, and proceeded to use it wisely. _"Aha! There you are!"_ He thought, while opening a file he started a year ago; a little experiment in which he was working, before he was told about Bumblebee's idea of giving the Velocitronian a second chance.

Ever since the war finished, the old medic started to wonder about some technological knowledge that his species seemed to lose in the armed conflict; knowledge that included a camouflage tool which only Arcee seemed to preserve… though, incomplete: a holoform. Given that they decided to remain in touch with planet Earth, such asset would be really helpful whenever they required to interact with humankind. In fact, it could've spared them from dragging the children into their problems…

The thought made Ratchet shake his head to shoo it away. True that, a couple years ago, he would've preferred to have never met the children; but, after living with them for so long… Well, he grew fond to them.

Chuckling at the realization of how much he liked those kids, the old medic went back to his research… Only to be interrupted by his commlink, pinging in the worst moment.

Growling, the picked up the call.

"Yes?"

« _Hey, it's me, Raf._ » The teenager's voice sounded through the line. « _Um… Sorry to bother you, Ratchet, but since Bumblebee is back on Cybertron until Knock Out's cleared… Could you open a ground-bridge for me, please?_ » He asked.

Right, the yellow warrior was with the red surgeon, back at Iacon City, waiting for the Council to dictate the final sentence about the Velocitronian's legal condition. Given all the trouble that took place during the stellar-cycle, Bumblebee announced that they would spent three or four days back on Cybertron… There were a lot of things to explain to the Council…

That left Rafael without a guardian to pick him up from school…

"Give me one minute." The old mech said, while getting up from his chair, and walking towards the ground-bridge controllers.

The vortex whirled to life, allowing two small human figures inside the base. One of them was the teenage boy, the other one was Millie, who ran into Rafael after school, and asked if she could come along. Both children greeted the medic and went straight to the platform to leave their backpacks, while Ratchet, after answer the greeting, walked back towards his lab.

With two children inside the base, it wasn't going to be as silent as before; but since it wasn't Miko, Ratchet was still comfortable enough to work at ease. Besides, ever since Knock Out went back to their planet, Millie liked to spend most of her time with Sunscorch and Nightglider, listening to their old war stories; meanwhile, Rafael tended to spend most of his time working on his laptop, or completing some school projects. Besides, the old medic knew the boy for so long, that he was aware that it wasn't a problem to leave him without supervision. The kid didn't really needed it…

However, if the bot doesn't go to the humans, the humans will come to the bot; and, so, Rafael intruded the med-bay a couple kliks after the medic left the control room.

"Ratchet, can I talk to you for a second?" He asked.

"Is something the matter?" Honestly, he wanted to concentrate on his experiment; but this boy rarely interrupted him when working, so he guessed that something wasn't right.

"Well… It's actually something personal, but… I kinda need someone to talk about it… Someone out of my family circle, you know?" The teenager started, scratching his head and averting his eyes.

Ratchet arched an eyebrow, and moved on his chair, until he was facing the human. Rafael seemed to understand that it meant that he was listening, so the boy kept explaining:

"Here's the thing: ever since I was little, I showed interest in Science and Math; so, my family has been pushing me to choose MIT for when I reach the age to go to college." He said, walking closer to the bot, and resting his weight on the security riel. "Ever since I got into high school, I've been checking out the institute's website, and… Yeah, I would totally like to go there."

"But?" The medic could guess that there was a 'but' somewhere in this narration.

"But MIT stands for 'Massachusetts Institute of Technology'. _Massachusetts_. I would've, not only to move out of my house, but out of the State!" The boy claimed, in fear.

The bot understood: he was afraid of leaving the only home he knew so far.

"Rafael…" The medic said, amusedly, while chuckling. "You're fourteen, going to fifteen. It's still too soon to start worrying about those things, don't you think?" As far as he knew, the boy would remain in high school until he turned eighteen; so there was no real reason to worry yet.

But, at the mention of his age, the kid looked away, depressed. This called Ratchet's attention, making him arch an eyebrow, wondering what the real matter was. It was clear now that it wasn't just fear about leaving Jasper; something else moved this child to come to talk to him about his personal life, something that he wasn't saying.

"Is it there something _else_ worrying you?" He pressed, trying to get the information out of his young companion.

"The school's principal sent a recommendation letter to the college, and… I got accepted." He admitted.

Ratchet's optics widened as he gasped in surprise.

"Apparently, my age wouldn't be a problem, and the authorities agreed to give me a room without any mates to share it with; but… still." The teenager sighed. "I don't know what to do, Ratchet. I really want to go to MIT; I just don't know if I want to attend college… at the age of fifteen…"

"Yes, I understand." The medic commented, lowering his gaze, and scratching his chin. He wouldn't have liked to attend the Medicine Academy when being a minor either… Thinking about it, he wasn't sure if the boy should go so soon. Though Raf's mind might've been ready to such challenge, he was yet too young to leave his home. Sighing, he looked back at the boy. "Rafael, I would like to help, but… I'm afraid that this decision is entirely up to you." He admitted with an apologetic face, receiving a sigh from the kid. "I'm sorry for not being of better aid."

"It's okay, I didn't expect you to bridge me to Massachusetts; I only wanted to know your opinion." The boy chuckled.

"Rafael." Ratchet called him, seeing right through the teenager's smile. "I know that leave behind the only home you've ever known is frightening, I felt it too during the exodus… However, I was fully an adult when I left my home planet; you, on the other hand, are merely a child. Perhaps, it would be better for you to talk about this with Bumblebee when he returns." He commented, cocking his head to the side, trying to analyze the boy's reaction to his words.

The teenager simply nodded, not really looking forward to talk about his probable moving with his best friend and guardian. Then, he started to walk out of the med-bay.

Oh, Primus… How he hated to see him so depressed.

Biting his lip, the medic glanced at the screen in which he was typing, before look back at the teenager.

"Since you're here…" The bot said, suddenly, regaining the boy's attention. "I'm working on an old holographic device that would allow us to interact more freely with your world. I could use a pair of extra optics, given all the programming I must perform." He insinuated with a smirk.

For a moment Rafael silently looked at the medic, and then at the screen, considering his answer. But, in the end, and as Ratchet predicted, the boy smiled and nodded; only to gesture him to give him a minute to go for his laptop.

While the human left to pick up his computer, the medic went back to his research.

For a moment, his servos lain onto the keyboard motionless, as if he was considering what to type next; only to, finally, chuckle at the realization of how much he came to like these children.

* * *

 **Remember the letter that Raf got in the chapter 'Family Issues part 2'? Well, now you know what it was!**

 **Well, our next bot in line is...**

 **I really don't know who upload next. But it will probably be Rodimus or Ultra Magnus...**

 **Either way, both of them are comedies. :)**

 **See you next time!**


	5. Ultra Magnus

**I'm back people! Sorry for the delay, but a little thing called 'life' decided to show up, and... Well, I had to disappear for a while. So, how've you been? :)**

 **Sympathy** **:**

 **Depressed? Well, I have what you need! Hey, Optimus! Here's a person that needs a hug!  
**

 **Optimus: *Practically in panic* No! Not again! DX**

 **Awww... C'mon! Just o-! *Optimus literally slams his quarters' door* Wow! Okay, okay! Sorry! *Sighs* Guess he's still a little jumpy about that... Especially since we found out that Mega-Troll got away with one picture.  
**

 **You don't have to force yourself to write a review if you don't feel like it, you know? I appreciate your gesture, but I don't pretend to become an imposition. So, thank you for your review, but if you don't feel like writing at the moment, you don't have to. :)**

 **And, yes, I realize that they tend to revive characters all the time in the comics, but, trust me, Wing won't come back. First, he was a minor character; second, h** ** _e_** **had to get terminated to give Drift a reason to stand up to the slave dealers of the planet they were in. Plus, that's how he received the ancient sword (which was Wing's) and, also, a reason to become a Neutral and finally leave the 'Cons. It's just that, despite his appearance was short, it was very good.**

 **To the Guest(s)** **:**

 **You'll have to wait, but, eventually, there will be some stories with the bots using their holoforms. And, yes, I decided to upload both Ultra Magnus and Rodimus... Mostly because I recognize that it has been too long since my last update XD  
**

 **Seeker3** **:**

 **Hi again! Long time no see! You too, Silverbolt! Uh... Seeker? Maybe you should stop swinging him around. I mean... the poor mech starts to seem dizzy...**

 **Silverbolt: Kind of... *Covers his mouth with his right hand, while holding his tanks with the other***

 **And, no, I wasn't planning to write about him... *sighs* Try to understand, I can't spend the rest of my life writing one-shots! XD**

 **BUT! I have to admit that Rodimus's one-shot was inspired in one of your comments during my fanfic** ** _Redemption_** **! :)**

 **Ready? It's time for more one-shots!**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _A new job is offered to Ultra Magnus_

 **Genre:** Humor

* * *

 **-ULTRA MAGNUS-**

 **Reassigned**

The commander was sitting at his desk in the police department, when the message came through. Apparently, the Council wanted to meet with him to discuss some important matters with him. Of course that, according to the protocol, he should've sent a confirmation and go to the Council's chamber to see what they wanted… But, considering all the things those bastards made him endure, Ultra Magnus decided to ignore the message. Thanks to this, he was sent a reminder a joor later, which he left aside too; until, by the end of the day, the Councilmen's clerk called him directly to confirm that he received the communications. _"I did, but since they're a bunch of slag-heads, I decided to ignore them…"_ The Wrecker thought, before announce that he was on his way to the Council's tower.

The minute the building was on his sight, the mech started to wonder what those people wanted with him now. The Decepticons were back on jail; Optimus was checking the new laws, and giving some words of advice to Rodimus, before go back to Earth to start a formal communication channel between both planets; also, Bumblebee and Knock Out were practically packing up, since the surgeon's sentence was already decided ―yup, he was, finally, a free citizen. There wasn't much else to do, but go back to a normal life; so what did they want? Sighing, Ultra Magnus, now at the tower's entrance, transformed and started to walk towards the main door, where the Councilmen's clerk received him.

"They are already waiting for you, sir." The young bot said, with a small bow.

"Aha…" Unamused, the commander simply bypassed the guy, going straight to the elevator. He just wanted to be done with this meeting, so he could go back to work. Thanks to the Decepticons' outbreak, there was a paperwork mayhem waiting for him on his desk.

Inside the Council Chamber, however, the Wrecker couldn't help but blink in surprise, when he found out that Rodimus Prime was also there, waiting for him. Next to the orange and golden bot, Side Burn and the Elite Guards' Academy's chairman were there too. _"Okay… What's going on?"_ He wondered, arching an eyebrow.

"Commander, please." One of the Councilmen called his attention, while gesturing the newcomer to step closer. The blue mech did so. "Do you know why you are here?"

 _"Because you're a bunch of rusted afts who has nothing better to do but make my life miserable."_ The blue mech thought in the depths of his processor, trying hard not to glare at the Councilmen in front of him. In the end, he decided to simply shake his head in denial. At his ignorance, the new Prime took over the conversation's course, explaining that the Academy's chairman was currently removed from his post, and that he was looking for a replacement.

Ultra Magnus arched an eyebrow.

"I still don't understand." He admitted.

"Commander, Side Burn, Smokescreen and I are the only already trained Elite Guards available. However, none of us has the required experience to take over the chairman's job. For so, I have asked for you to be reassigned to the Academy, as its new head." The orange and golden mech finally explained with a smile.

He? The Elite Guard's chairman?

Well, he _was_ trained by said group; but it was so many eons ago… And he wasn't really patient; although… thinking about it, Sentinel wasn't either. In fact, he lost the count of how many times he had to go through the same exercise because his trainer said so, until he considered it perfect. However, there was a little problem with Rodimus's idea…

"What about my current position at the police department?" He asked, suddenly remembering that he was working as the chief. If he was to be removed from his charge, then the law enforcers would lack of a leader. It wasn't a good option either.

"My brother Prowl will be promoted to captain in a couple solar-cycles, and will be able to become the new chief." Side Burn answered, relieving the commander.

Well, he had to admit that the middle triplet was impressive, and that he was up to the job; so… Why not? Besides, he kind of missed the Elite Guard from time to time. If there was going to be a replacement for him, then there was no reason for him to reject the job.

"Commander." One of the Council members called him. "We don't think your reassign is necessary. We're sure than Rodimus Prime is capable of leading the Elite Guard's Academy without trouble."

"If _I_ were capable, would I be asking _him_ to take the job?!" The orange and golden mech snarled. "As I said, I lack in experience, but the commander is more than comfortable with a leading position." He added, gesturing towards he blue bot.

"The experience must be made, young Prime." Another Councilman commented, rolling his optics and crossing his arms.

Ultra Magnus frowned and arched an eyebrow at the realization: this whole proposition was coming entirely from Rodimus who didn't know how to manage the Academy and keep the trainees in check. _"Oh… Being that the case…"_

Humbly, the commander accepted the job… But he announced that he would take his charge once Prowl was in conditions to take his current position.

The grunt that escaped the Councilmen vocalizer kind of made him smile…

* * *

 **After a whole longfic where the commander had to endure the new Council on his own, I decided that he deserved a break. Let's admit it, he'll be happier at the Elite Guard.**

 **In other news, the idea of Magnus ignoring the protocol came from the scene where N. Fury ignores his bosses in _Avengers._ The scene was:**

 **"Council of Defense: Director Fury, this council has made a decision.**

 **Fury: I realize that the Council made a decision. But given that it's a dumbass decision, I've decided to ignore it."**


	6. Rodimus Prime

**Here comes Rodimus!**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be grammar mistakes.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Rodimus asks the one million question._

 **Genre:** Humor

* * *

 **-RODIMUS PRIME-**

 **Whose Brilliant Idea It Was?!**

Hot Rod, now known as Rodimus Prime, was back at the Academy's vault, returning the relics that survived the battle, next to Optimus, who introduced him to the Council and to Cybertron's population as the new Prime, chosen by the Matrix of Leadership. It was a big, long and boring ceremony filled with stupid speeches… Though it was worth it, since it meant that he got to see the chairman's stupefied face.

The young mech chuckled, while putting the Polarity Gauntlet down, next to the Apex Armor. His processor replaying the moment Optimus showed up in front of everyone. Oh… The Councilmen looked like they just saw a ghost; one of them literally screamed in horror, believing that some spirit was coming back from the AllSpark to hunt him down. Later he got to know that the guy used to know the older Prime when he was yet Orion Pax; and he couldn't help but wonder, how was he back then? Did he changed much? How did he make the transition from civilian to Prime, to commander?

Then, Rodimus's mind diverted to another question that was bugging him: would _he_ change? Would the Matrix that lied down his chest-plates make him become someone else? Someone more… Prime-like?

Suddenly, his attention was called by Optimus's silhouette, as the red and blue mech returned the Star Saber to its place inside the vault. The orange mech couldn't help but growl and furrow his eyebrows, remembering the way it glowed during the fight with the Combiners, and couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he touched it now. Would it recognize it as a Prime, or would it stay the same? Maybe the Matrix chose wrong?

"Is something the matter, Rodimus?" The older mech asked, after making sure that the sword was firmly on its place.

"It's just… I never saw myself worthy of such honor, as to be entrusted with the Matrix of Leadership, sir." He admitted, touching his chest-plates, which were protecting the relic.

Optimus smiled in sympathy.

"Neither did I." He reassured his young companion, who looked up to him, more calmed now.

It was comforting to know that the bot in front of him, who was considered a great hero, felt the same when he was entitled. Thanking the kind words, Rodimus smiled, and looked at the vault.

"So… This is all, isn't it? All the relics we have left, plus the Matrix." He said, while walking out of the room.

"Actually, there's one more relic that should be put into safety." Optimus commented, gaining the young warrior's attention.

"Where is it?" The younger bot asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Follow me."

Before being able to ask anything else, Rodimus found himself following Optimus into the wastelands, way out of Iacon. Maybe… they were going to send the Matrix back to Cybertron's core? No, they weren't headed towards the Well of the AllSpark. Vector Sigma? No, no… Kaon was at the other side of these lands. Where were they going?! It took them several joors of driving in the middle of nowhere, until the red truck told his companion to slow down because they were at the coordinates. _"Huh? Here?"_ Rodimus wondered, scanning his surroundings. There was literally _nothing_ there. The orange muscle car did stop behind his companion; however, his processor couldn't help but wonder what kind of relic were they looking for at such place…

Finally, Optimus transformed into his bipedal form, indicating his companion to do the same. Rodimus, once again, complied, only to notice that they were standing in front of what seemed to be a very large tomb. Cocking his helm to the left, and arching an eyebrow, the orange mech saw that the other Prime knelt down to enter the place through a crack in the wall.

Not wanting to pester the older mech with questions as if he were some sort of troublesome rookie ―well, he _was_ , but he didn't want to be a bother―, he kept his mouth shut and followed the red and blue bot into the dark opening. Once inside, both of them turned on their lights. Thanks to this, an ancient inscription, in which a large Cybertronian was being depicted, became visible to the newcomers. Rodimus walked closer to take a better look of it, not really knowing what to think of it, until he noticed that it wasn't just _any_ Cybertronian… It was divided in five parts, each of them being a different vehicle mode. The younger Prime gasped in horror, while taking several steps back at the realization.

It wasn't just _any_ mech from ancient times! It was a fragging _Combiner_ from ancient times!

"What?! But… How?!" The orange mech stammered, not understanding how their ancestors knew about the monstrosities they fought solar-cycles ago.

"I understand what you're fearing, Rodimus; but it's not what you believe." Optimus said, while scanning some rubble that fell from the ceiling, not even looking at the orange mech. "It is a Combiner. Yes. But its origin isn't the same as the ones from the Decepticons."

"Sir, are you telling me that our ancestors had this ability or something like that?" The younger mech asked, confused.

"Unlikely." The older mech answered, shaking his head. "However, it was this inscription what might've triggered Shockwave to perform _Project Combiner_." Optimus explained, while removing some rubble, from his way. Then, he touched some cravings on the wall, and a secret opening appeared in front of their eyes, right under the inscription that Rodimus was looking. "Fortunately for us, he never found what he came here to collect." The red and blue mech added, while walking up to the now revealed safe, collecting something from inside of it.

It was a golden ball that had four spikes coming out of it; its surface had patterns that resembled the ones of the Matrix, and it emanated some strange energy at Optimus's touch. At the sight of this strange treasure, plus the activation at the older bot's touch, the orange and golden mech just knew it…

"It's another relic from the Primes, isn't it?" He asked.

The older bot nodded.

"Indeed. This is Nexus Prime's relic, also known as the Enigma of Combination."

All alarms started to ring inside of Rodimus's processor, as his eyes darted towards the picture on the wall, and, then, back to the relic.

"Are you saying that this thing, created _him_?!" He asked, pointing from the Enigma to the depiction of Nexus Prime. His answer was a nod from the older Prime. "AND WHY WAS IT STILL ON CYBERTRON WHEN THE FRAGGING WAR BROKE OUT?! DID NOBODY THOUGHT THAT IT COULD BE USED AS A WEAPON?! THANKS THE STARS THAT THE FREAKING CYCLOPS DIDN'T FIND IT!" He started to whine, while pacing up and down.

Optimus sighed. Yup. He was yet too young… But, hopefully, with some help, he would become a decent Prime soon enough.

"Shockwave learnt about Nexus Prime's origins long before being a Decepticon. He was yet Senator Shockwave when he found the files that talked about a Prime who was born from the combination of many, at the Hall of Records database." The red and blue mech looked at the relic on his hands, remembering that day. "He went to Alpha Trion, confused by the strange description, and that's how he learnt about the Enigma." Then, he looked up to his companion. "When the war broke out, Alpha Trion made sure that all relics from the Primes would remain out of the Decepticons' reach; but, when Shockwave joined them, and knowing that he would intend to satisfy Megatron's wishes for a super soldier by manufacturing Combiners, my old mentor decided for the best to hide it right here…"

"At Nexus Prime's crypt." Rodimus completed. "Meanwhile, the 'Cons would waste their time looking for it among the stars…" He kept pondering, with his eyes fixed on the object.

Optimus nodded once again.

"It is important that nobody knows about its real location; even when the war is over, Cybertron is yet far from being at peace, and there's no doubt within my spark that someone may try to lay its hands on this relic. As Primes, it's our duty to keep these objects safe, reason why I decided to trust its location to you." The older mech said, placing a hand on his companion's shoulder.

"May I talk openly, sir?" The former Elite Guard asked, with narrowed eyes.

"Go ahead." The red and blue bot nodded.

"Whose brilliant idea it was to fill the Primes with ridiculously powerful devices?!" He yelled, exasperated.

The older mech opened his mouth, as if going to say something… But quickly shut it again, and blinked blankly.

 _That_ … was a question that not even Optimus Prime was able to answer…

* * *

 **That's all for now. Again, sorry about the delay...**

 **Next one in line is our dear Thundercracker ( _Alone and stranded on Earth, Thundercracker can't help but remember the past and wonder what's the future preparing for him_ ).  
**

 **Hope to see you soon! Bye!**


	7. Thundercracker

**What's up? Since last time I left you *coughcough*overtendays*coughcough* without an update, I decided to make an early update this time; AND, I decided to try to update further one-shots in weekends... Maybe it would be for the best to make a little schedule for this too.**

 **Thanks to the Guest for his kind comment! I'm fine, thank you!**

 **I hope you like this fic as much as you liked the previous ones.**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Alone and stranded on Earth, Thundercracker can't help but remember the past and wonder what's the future preparing for him._

 **Genres:** Drama & Hurt/Comfort **  
**

* * *

 **-THUNDERCRACKER-**

 **Outcast**

His flight didn't last long, not with an injured wing; so, after landing, the cerulean Seeker used his old radars to find an old Energon mine, which fortunately still had some juice in it, and took refuge in there. His trine was probably being taken to some Cybertronian prison at the moment, and the Autobots were most surely looking for him, so he didn't have any reasons to leave his shelter. Besides, with a leaking wing, he wouldn't make it far. _"I shouldn't have listened to him…"_ He thought, remembering Knock Out's words, the very ones that convinced him to abandon his brothers. And yet… Even when he hated the red medic for pushing him away from the only friends he ever met, there was another part of him that seemed to be ok with it. Maybe he did the right thing, forgiving that Autobot's life; who knows? The only thing he knew was that, from the moment he shoot down Skywarp, he wouldn't be able to return to his trine. Especially not with Starscream in it. The purple flyer would most probably punch him on the face for what he did ―or play some silly joke on him, which was more his style―, but the silver grey Seeker wouldn't be satisfied with just that… Ever since they got fired, Starscream has been obsessed with the idea of taking revenge on everything and on everyone.

Sighing, Thundercracker had to admit that, in the end, there was a big chance for Knock Out to be right about this whole thing… Maybe he _was_ better off without those two. But he was yet a fugitive. It hasn't changed. Even when he chose not to fight them, there was no doubt in his spark that the moment in which an Autobot spotted him, would be the moment in which he would be taken back to Cybertron as a war prisoner; and everybody knew that there was no way out from there.

For a week, the cerulean Seeker sat down on the cave, concentrating in heal, in remain hidden, and in remain out of reach from everyone and everything. There wasn't much he could do anyway… except think and remember how things were before, when the last years of the Golden Age were still going. When he and his brothers were safe…

… … …

Vos, his city, was the crown jewel when it came to soldiers. The best men of the Council's guard came from there; and, a much younger Thundercracker, couldn't hide his pride about his origins. He was a child of Vos, a natural soldier; he was destined to greatness. It couldn't be anyhow else. And so, he trained hard, learned all he could, and waited patiently for the day in which he would be trusted to a trine, the day he would meet his brothers in arms. And, finally, that day arrived… Only… not the way he expected it to happen…

"Cadet." A raspy voice called behind his back. When he turned around, the cerulean mech saw a silver grey flyer who was a little older than him.

His whole armor was grey, with a darker shade on the shoulders, wings, forearms and lower legs. Only his crest and the talons of his pedes were red, which was the only color on his frame, besides his yellow optics. The insignia on his chest indicated his rank: commander. The cerulean mech immediately saluted the newcomer.

"At ease, soldier." The commander quickly said, gesturing him to stop. He did so. "What's your designation, cadet?" The officer asked, folding his hands behind his back.

"Thundercracker, sir. I'm in my last vorn of training." He said.

"Have you been assigned to a trine yet?"

"Huh…" A little ashamed, he averted his eyes. No. He wasn't. It was his punishment for a little insubordination of his, because cadets who were on their last vorn were immediately assigned. Still be on his own was strange, and made everyone think that he was an awful flyer… Not many wanted him now.

Disappointment took the best of him, letting go of a sigh, while dropping his wings behind his back.

The commander suddenly chuckled.

"Follow me." He said, while leading the way to the field where they practiced their flying skills. Then, typing a simulation program, the commander turned to look at the cadet with an arched eyebrow. "Which level of simulation have you reached?"

"Forty, sir."

"Hm… That's quite an advanced level. Would you like to try forty two, or, maybe forty three?" The grey Seeker, asked.

"I-I… I never passed the forty one…" Thundercracker admitted, fearing that if he agreed to participate in the simulation he would end up putting himself in ridiculous. Besides, the most advanced programs were for trines, and he had nobody to fly with.

"Maybe a team routine should be a good test…" The commander mumbled, while uploading the program into the simulator.

"What?! But, sir, I don't…!"

"Skywarp, you're required on the flying tracks. Make yourself present within five kliks." The older mech ordered to someone over the commlink, completely ignoring Thundercracker's pleas. "Don't worry about your lack of trine, I'll proportionate the two other required players."

As soon as he finished explaining this, a third Seeker, one of purple and black paintjob appeared in the sky. The commander turned to look at him, before jump in the air and transform, ordering Thundercracker to do the same.

Gulping, the cadet followed his superior officer, and the simulation started.

Surprisingly, it turned out to be easy enough, and, soon, he was no longer afraid of making a fool of himself; he was actually enjoying the exercise. After four more simulations, the commander ordered the other two bots to land at the platform, saying that he saw enough. Thundercracker landed and transformed with a smile on the face. It was his first team practice, and he accomplished it with a high ranked officer! No trainee in the War Academy of Vos could say such thing before!

"Alright!" The purple Seeker celebrated, while landing next to the cadet. "He's the one, Scream! I'm telling ya'! He's a natural! A..!" In the middle of his cheering, the mech locked optics with the cerulean bot. "Skywarp, by the way." He introduced himself, offering a hand for the other one to take.

"Thundercracker." He shyly shook hands with the strange mech, before let go when the other started to talk about the training again.

"Call Fireblast! We found our new partner!"

The commander simply turned off the system, after sending a copy to someone; all in complete silence. Then, he turned to look at the cadet.

"Impressive skills, soldier. Why haven't you been assigned to a trine yet?" He asked, crossing his arms and arching an eyebrow.

Oh… That was the one million question… The cause of him being the only cadet from his group who wasn't promoted yet…

Sighing, the cerulean bot scratched his neck, wondering whether it would help him or doom him to answer that question. However, in the end, he told the truth:

"I… kind of…" He cleared his throat. "I might have insulted brigadier Fireblast… in my last training… a quartex ago…"

"Don't say? What did you call him?" The purple mech wanted to know.

"… Rusted pile of Scraplet waste…"

Klik of awkward silence.

And suddenly Skywarp and the commander were bended over, laughing their afts off.

"And he suspended you for _that_?!" Skywarp wondered. "Big deal! We've said worst things about him!"

"Huh?" Thundercracker was so confused by their reaction that he wasn't sure of what to think of it.

"Remember when we were about to graduate, Scream?! The names we used to call him at his back?!" The purple flyer asked through his laughs.

"Oh… Some were priceless!" The grey Seeker said, wiping a little lubricant tear that came out of his right optic from laughing so hard. "He did caught you once, didn't he?"

"You bet! He made me wash the barracks for twenty deca-cycles! Oh… But the laughs lasted forever. Some still calls him 'Torchaft', you know?" Yeah, the poor bot didn't have the best design: when he transforms into his bipedal form, parts of his thruster ended up either on his hip… or in his lower back… near the aft… And Skywarp noticed when he, and the now brigadier, were yet on their first stellar-cycle of training ―yes, to make things worse, Fireblast and Starscream had the same age; their only difference were the ranks they achieved.

"You started that?!" Thundercracker suddenly asked, surprised.

"Why so surprised? Nobody likes that guy." Skywarp asked with a bright smile, while shrugging a little.

Suddenly, he was laughing too, as these two strange characters started to remember some other nicknames they gave to the mech that ran the War Academy of Vos, specifically the Seekers' trainings. Some names were really creative, while others were merely comparisons to some beasts and vermin; and, before he noticed, Thundercracker found himself having a drink with the two mechs who miraculously allowed him to train with them.

It wasn't until a couple cycles after that the notification arrived to his quarters: he got assigned to commander Starscream's trine, and he had to present himself for training immediately. Elated, Thundercracker hurried to present himself to his new commander… only to find out that it was the same guy from days ago.

"Unlike others, I don't mind soldiers who has troubles with authority." The grey mech explained. "I have them myself, to be honest." He added with a chuckle and a little shrug.

That day, he was, officially, a member of the Energon Seekers. He earned his place in the world. His trine. And nothing would ever ruin the fraternal connection that he was building with those two awesome mechs…

… … …

But the war and Megatron got in the way.

Now looking at it in perspective, he cursed the day in which they heard about a gladiator who was running into politics to try to make their society a little bit fairer for everyone. And, since their trine got 'suspended until further advice' due to an unimportant administrative mistake, the three of them joined the Kaonian's campaign without even think it. Sighing, Thundercracker admitted that he should've talked Starscream out of it. They might've been soldiers, but it didn't mean they loved the war…

The sound of a propellant followed by the noise of a T-Cog activating made him wake up abruptly from a dreamless sleep in which he fell without notice. Frantic, the cerulean mech analyzed his surroundings, remembering where he was and why; and, then, he prepared his weapons. If it was an Autobot planning to attack him, he would go down fighting; but he wouldn't go back to jail, to a stasis pod, willingly.

"Easy, there. I'm not here to fight." A mech's voice said.

Even when he didn't lower his weapons, the Autobot flyer, Nightglider, entered the cave. His hands were in the air, indicating that he had no hostile intentions; but Thundercracker simply couldn't believe it.

"How did you find me?" He asked.

"Simple: you were hurt, you needed Energon. We've been checking mines ever since." The black mech answered with a shrug. "This one was in my quadrant of search. Nobody's aware that this is where you're hiding, but if they see that my signal went inside the mine and never exited it, the others will figure out why."

Grunting, the Seeker lowered his guns and crossed his arms.

"So, either way I'm trapped. Is that what you're trying to say?" He snarled.

Nightglider sighed, shaking his head.

"Look. Optimus has been talking to the Council back on Cybertron, and… It's been agreed that, all Decepticon who wishes to be granted with a second chance and proves to be worthy of it, will be put on parole instead of prison or stasis." The Autobot said, looking at the cerulean bot.

Thundercracker arched an eyebrow.

"What does it has to be with me?"

"You forgave my life." Nightglider answered almost immediately after the question, taking the cerulean mech aback. "To me, that counts to you earning your second chance."

"To be what? An Autobot?" The Seeker bitterly chuckled at the thought. "I don't think so…" He added with a disdainful smile.

"Fine. Don't be an Autobot if you don't want to." The black mech said with another shrug. "Knock Out didn't accepted to be a 'Bot either."

"The traitor still calls himself a 'Con?" It truly surprised the Seeker, though not as much as what the other guy said next:

"He's a Neutral now." Nightgtlider said, quickly, making the cerulean mech end up in a stunned silence. "Just think about it, ok?" He added before turn around to leave, much to Thundercracker's surprise.

"Aren't you going to turn me in?"

"After offering you a second chance? That would be rude, and unfair from me." The Autobot said, looking at the Seeker from above his shoulder. Then, he walked out of the mine. "Think about it!" He added, before his propellant revealed to Thundercracker that he flew away.

Once alone, the Decepticon sat down, still dumfounded for what just happened. Did that Autobot actually let him go? Not only that, but also gave him a second chance? Why? What would he get out of it? _"So he's a Neutral now, huh? Well, better than an Autobot I guess…"_ He thought. And, all of the sudden, he realized that he was _considering_ it. It took him unprepared… The fact that he was actually thinking about that offer was a total surprise for him. But… Actually, why not? He couldn't keep calling himself a Decepticon after walking out of his trine just like that. And he sure couldn't rely on Starscream and/or Skywarp anymore…

Sighing, he lied down to recharge.

Maybe, being a Neutral wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

* * *

 ***Calliope and her OCs appears next to an average tall white mech whose wings, forearms, shoulders, and lower legs are red and orange; some of his bronze colored protoform is visible. His optics are creamy yellow* Uh... Say hi to your new little brother?**

 **Galatea: *Smiling and waving a servo* Hi!**

 **Solar Flare: _Another_ OC?! Seriously?!**

 **Daybreak: C'mon... This place is started to feel stuffed!**

 **Fireblast: *frowning* Show some respect to our creator! *Suddenly points towards the door* Twenty rounds around the property, now!**

 ***Solar Flare and Daybreak stares in disbelief at the new OC before look at Calliope* What? I _did_ described him as a high ranked officer from Vos, remember? I just wrote it, guys! By the way, you better get going... *Both OCs leaves, groaning under their breaths*  
**

 **Fireblast: *Crossing his arms* I'm surprised you put up with those two insubordinates for so long, creator.**

 **Sunscorch: *Facepalm* Oh, great... _Another_ Ultra Magnus... with wings...**

 **Nightglider: It... might not be so bad... I mean, he just put my bro and Flare in their place.**

 **That's the spirit, Glider! Why don't you two show him around, please? *OCs leaves the place* He, he... Well, while I try to make my old OCs accept the new addition to their crew, I'll leave you the name of our next character: MIKO!**

 **Here's the summary: _Unknown to most, Miko's insecurities and personality had its origins in a relative of hers. And, when said person decides to show up after a year, our favorite rocker will look for comfort somewhere else… Maybe in some giant friends of hers._**

 **Please let me know what you thought of this fic!  
**

 **See you!**


	8. Miko

**Hello!**

 **Our first one-shot with a human as main character has arrived; and, yes, it's Miko (mostly because I haven't wrote the ones of Jack, Raf and Millie yet; and I'm leaving Fowler and June for later). It was kind of hard to find something to write about her, since she's not one of my personal favs; so, this story is more a random episode.  
**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Transformers_ franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Unknown to most, Miko's insecurities and personality had its origins in a relative of hers. And, when said person decides to show up after a year, our favorite rocker will look for comfort somewhere else… Maybe in some giant friends of hers._

 **Genre:** Family, friendship, humor... let's just say 'general'...

* * *

 **-MIKO-**

 **Girls' Day**

As every year, her mother brought out the display, put on the red carpet, and, then, called her to start placing the dolls. Yup. It was Mach 3th, in other words: the Girls' Day. Normally, Miko wouldn't really thought about it, and would simply start placing each and every figure where it belonged, next to all the other items that had to be displayed; after all, she has been doing this since she could remember…

However, this year, her grandmother decided to celebrate the festival at her place; an old traditional house out of the city. Again, Miko didn't mind it at first. She loved her grandma.

It wasn't until she was almost done with the exhibition that her good-neutral mood about this whole situation started to change; more specifically, when her mother and her grandmother decided to surprise her… with a pink, traditional, silk kimono. And _that_ was the moment when the teenager decided whether to run for her life, call to base to ask for an emergency ground-bridge, or (most likely) swallow her pride and dress up just because she loved her granny too much, and she knew how she loved to see her dressed with those garments.

"Ugh… I look like a freaking doll…" The teenager grunted, while looking at her reflection in her grandmother's mirror. When she was younger, she loved to dress up like this… but, as she grew up, she started to feel otherwise. This clothes were much more feminine to what she used to wear, and where kind of uncomfortable too. "How did my ancestors walked in this?!" She moaned, while trying to get out of the room, while trying not to ruin the kimono, which took over an hour to put on.

Of course that the pain and discomfort were worth it when she saw the smile in her grandmother's face. So she pretended to be completely fine with the fact that she was way out of her comfort zone, and kept celebrating the festival. However, at some point she felt like she needed a break, so finding a good and isolated spot, Miko sat down to call Bulkhead.

« _Miko?_ » It wasn't until the groggily voice of the Wrecker reached her eardrums that the teenager realized her mistake: it was around four _in the morning_ back on Jasper. She literally woke up her guardian in the middle of the night.

"Oops! Sorry, Bulk! I just wanted to talk, and forgot about the time back there!" The Japanese girl apologized.

The green bot chuckled absently.

« _No problem, girl. You know you can call me…_ » Yawn. « _…whenever you want._ » He finished.

Miko smiled and giggled. Oh, how she missed to be with the bots 24:7… If she could only sent herself back to Jasper as an exchange student, she would do it. Only one problem: no more high school. Suddenly, she was even considering to attend a USA college. _"If just I wouldn't have already applied for a college here…"_ She cursed.

They talked for a little while, until her mother called, saying that some relatives just arrived, and Miko had to hang up. To her surprise, her cousins were there… including the one she couldn't stand at all.

"Miko!"

Before she could retreat to safety, her annoying cousin ―a good looking woman who was ten years older than her― was already over her. Why was she even there? Wasn't she happily married, and living somewhere in Kyoto?! It wasn't until she saw the guy who was talking with her parents that she realized: her cousin decided to celebrate the Girls' Day with the rest of the family… Yay…

"Ohayō, Yuki…" She replied, no emotion whatsoever in her face nor in her voice. "And, to you too, Daisuke." She added, looking at her cousin's husband.

The rest of her relatives weren't so bothersome. Some of them could even pass for normal people; it was just Yuki who tended to drive her nuts. For some reason, while Miko was the black sheep, Yuki was the favorite girl in the family; everything that the older cousin did or said was perfect, starting with her school grades. Compared to her cousin, Miko always tended to feel that, no matter how hard she tried, she was never good enough…

Yuki was always the prettier, the smarter, the politer, and so on. _"And so the nightmare repeats…"_ She thought, while slipping away from the group and searching for a good spot to hide until dinner. And so, nightfall found her by her own, just scrolling through the pics she had in her phone, until she found one in which Jack, Raf, Millie and herself were in a park. It was taken a couple days after the youngest of the children was adopted. _"Oh, man! I forgot to print this one for my wall!"_ Miko grunted, biting her lip and raising her eyes to the sky. _"Note to self: add it to my collection as soon as I go back to base."_

Sighing, she passed to the next one and chuckled: Jack fallen on the floor with a startled look in the face. Miko could still remember how pissed the older teenager got after he realized that it was she who scared the shit out of him. But, what was he expecting? The blue eyed boy was so concentrated in his texts that he never heard her coming. Of course that, after realizing that Miko played him a joke, the boy chased her for half base ―much to the bots' annoyance, though some of them seemed to enjoy the show… Actually, Crhomia and Arcee made a bet about Jack catching her or not. He did, eventually, and took away her phone; thanks to which the Japanese girl was forced to apologize in every language she knew, in order to recover her belongings. Fortunately for her, the boy forgot to erase the pic. _"He's becoming his mom…"_ She thought, rolling her eyes.

"Who's that?"

Surprised, Miko jolted on the spot, scaring her grandmother's dog, and almost falling on her butt. Apparently, Yuki was standing right behind her for a while now, spying her pictures from above her shoulder. Blushing ―half due to her embarrassment, half because of her anger―, the younger girl gritted her teeth, before frown to her cousin.

"DON'T YOU JUST POP OUT OF NOWHERE! YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!" She yelled, locking her phone, just in case.

The adult woman simply chuckled, and told her that the dinner was ready.

As she did for her, grandmother also made kimonos for the other two teenage girls of the family ―Yuki's little sisters, identical twins. Miko liked them, almost as much as she despised their older sister; true, that they weren't best friends either, but it was easier to talk to them…

Hopefully, with the twins here, the rest of the festival would be salvageable…

And that's when everything went back to Yuki, as she announced her pregnancy over dinner; and, soon enough, everyone in the room were comparing the other three girls to the older one. Unable to take it any longer, Miko excused herself and went out, fuming. Why? Why every single time that her cousin showed up, she ended being compared to her? Sighing, the teenager leaned against one of her grandmother's sakura trees, remembering all the occasions in which her parents seemed to like Yuki better; starting with the piano lessons. Sure, she had talent for music, and she liked the piano. She even performed for her classmates when she was in elementary school… But Yuki studied violin and entered a symphonic orchestra when she was eighteen. Ok. No big deal, after all she was older.

But then, one day, when Miko's mother and aunt took her and Yuki to a mall to choose some clothes for a party, suddenly, everyone liked Yuki's choice better. It hurt, but she could understand that, being older, her cousin had a more mature sense of fashion. Unfortunately, the comparisons kept coming, even at an academic level… and that was pretty much when Miko started to play the rebel daughter. Her parents wanted her to keep playing piano? She started to play guitar. So her aunt and cousin hates this or that? Miko started to automatically like it…

When Yuki got married a year ago, the teenager thought that this cold war could finally end, and that the grown up cousin would leave her life forever to attend her new family. Again, she was wrong, thing that she found out when some relatives started to wonder when she was planning to get a boyfriend. And, to make it worst, thanks to Yuki's pregnancy, the bets just raised again.

Shutting her eyes and frowning, Miko grabbed her phone and called to base.

… … …

The relief she felt when exiting the green portal couldn't be described. Getting away from Yuki and other relatives was like taking a huge boulder off her shoulders; although, Miko knew that she wouldn't be able to stay long. Her family would start looking out for her if she did. Well, she would enjoy it while she can.

Smiling as the ground-bridge disappeared behind her, the Japanese teenager offered a big smile and a thumbs up to her guardian.

"Thanks, Bulk! I really needed to get away!"

Only then, she noticed that the few bots in the room were kind of staring at her, even Ratchet whose right eyebrow was arched in an inquisitive way. Miko couldn't understand their reaction. Did she had something in the face?

"Uh… What's with the bathrobe?" Smokescreen suddenly asked, scratching the back of his helm.

'The bathrobe'? What bathrobe? Was he referring to her…? _"Shit!"_ Suddenly connecting the dots, Miko looked down at herself, noticing that she was still wearing the kimono her grandmother made for her. Scrap! She was even wearing the traditional wood sandals! By reflex, she covered herself with her arms, thanks to which her long sleeves swung in front of her.

"That's not a bathrobe, it's a kimono." Oh great… Jack was at the base too.

"A what?" The clueless Elite Guard asked, looking at the boy.

"A traditional dress from my country! Ok?!" Miko snapped, feeling her face heat up. Then, she darted her gaze towards the other human in the room. "Not a word about my looks, Jackrabbit!" She warned her friend, pointing at him with an accusatory index, while walking up to the platform.

"Hey, I didn't say anything!" He defended himself, raising his hands.

Of course that, from the three mechs in the room, Ratchet was the first one in lose all interest in her weird outfit, reason why, after blink in confusion a couple times, the medic shrugged and went back to whatever he was doing before her appearance. Meanwhile, Smokescreen kept scanning her with his optics, as if trying to understand what was so special about the kimono; Bulkhead, on the other hand, was more worried about why she asked for a ground-bridge so urgently.

"I just wanted to get away from Yuki." Miko told her guardian, while crossing her arms and averting her frowned face.

"Who's Yuki?" The blue mech in the room asked, confused.

"Her cousin." The Wrecker sighed, knowing the story. Being her guardian, Bulkhead knew lots of things about the Japanese girl; many of which he promised to keep them as a secret, but considering that the girl just mentioned her, he felt appropriated to explain. "But, didn't you say that she got married and moved to another city?" The green bot wondered, looking back at his charge.

"Yes, and even then she finds the way to come around and make my day a freaking nightmare!" She started to rant.

Seeing her reaction, not even Jack could ignore her discomfort towards this mysterious cousin; so, knowing that he was about to enter a dangerous terrain, the older teenager walked up to Miko and asked what happened.

At first, she tensed and tried to think of a good retort, but, in the end… Unable to keep up her persona, the Japanese teenager dropped her arms and her defiant attitude before explain her stormy relationship with Yuki, why she grew to hate her, and today events… Including why she was wearing a kimono.

"I mean, I don't even know _why_ she keeps celebrating the Girls' Day; she's already married!" Miko complained. "The twins, I get it, they're still single and stuff, but…"

Suddenly Smokescreen rose a servo.

"Uh… Not to sound too ignorant, but, what does this… festivity has to do with your cousin being married?" The Elite Guard asked, not following the human's blabber.

Miko rolled her eyes, and growled.

"It's the tradition. Everything is a symbol of marriage and fertility during the festival, ok? It's supposedly to help the girls to find husbands, or something…" She explained.

"Wait, wait, wait…" Jack suddenly said, gesturing her to stop talking, while holding back a chuckle. "Are you saying that your family is basically…?" Chortle. "…praying for your love life?" And, then, he finally burst out in laughs.

Clearly pissed, Miko started to punch and slap the older teenager's arms, while threatening his welfare with the most colorful words she could come up with, either in English, Cybertronian and Japanese. It was already bad enough to have to explain these things to a pair of clueless giant aliens; she didn't have to put up with an insensitive friend too! How she wished to be wearing her normal clothes! Make Darby pay for his joke would be much easier!

"Ok! Ok! Sorry!" Jack managed to say through his laughing. "Cut it out, already!" He added, thankfully seeing that the girl stopped her attack, mostly because she was already tired and panting. He arched an eyebrow. "Since when you get tired this quickly?"

"Since I'm trapped in a freakily tighten kimono…" She retorted. "I can barely move in this thing!" As to stress, she tried to rise her arms, and/or twist her upper body to one side to the other. Now everyone in the control room could see that she was clearly uncomfortable.

"Well, at least it suits you." Bulkhead tried to cheer her up.

"True." The other two males agreed.

Although it wasn't a huge reassurance, it did make her feel better to know that they didn't find her looks ridiculous… After all, they've only met her as the fearless rocker girl, the human who earned the title of honorary Wrecker; so far, none of them ever saw her wearing anything this delicate and feminine. Even though the bots thought she was wearing a bathrobe, but that was aside the point.

Smiling, she thanked them for the compliment, and asked if she could spend ten more minutes with them before go back to Japan. She really didn't want to go back right away.

"Miko…" Bulkhead moaned. "You know your parents will worry if you don't reappear soon."

"Doubt it… Not with Yuki there." She said, pouting.

"Oh, c'mon. You know that's not true!" The Wrecker shot back, kind of pissed. He knew that she wasn't in the best terms with her folks, but this was beyond ridiculous. He could already imagine her parents freaking out at their only daughter's sudden disappearance. However, his charge, simply crossed her arms, not looking at him. "Hey. Hey!" He gently poked her side with one of his large digits. "I know you're a little mad right now, but, try to imagine how they will feel if you don't go back home ASAP. They may even think that someone kidnapped you or something. I know I would!"

"Yeah, and what about your grandparents? You said you were at their place; how you think they will feel, huh?" Jack added.

The picture of her grandmother worried sick for her really made her rethink what she was doing, and, nodding, Miko agreed to return right away. Smiling, Bulkhead went to open a ground-bridge for her at the exact coordinates where she was minutes ago.

Feeling a little better, she thanked all her friends for listening, and for not judge her.

Bulkhead smiled and offered her a hand to hug; Smokescreen simply winked at her and removed himself from the control room. Jack shrugged and patted her shoulder while saying a friendly "Anytime"; however, he also warned that she would have to add a picture of her wearing that kimono to her wall as punishment for calling him 'Jackrabbit'. Miko rolled her eyes and agreed, not really wanting to start a new argument.

When the green portal whirled to life, the girl got down the platform and walked towards it… only to, suddenly, hear a hysterical laugh that made everyone look towards the hallway that connected the control room with everything else. To her bad luck, Wheeljack was looking for his best pal, thanks to which he caught her dressed up like a doll… and couldn't help himself.

Madly blushed, Miko yelled at him that it was for a festival, but she doubted that the white Wrecker could hear her over his chortles. It wasn't until he was bended over, holding onto his knees that the threat "I'll have you for this, Jackass!" reached his audio-receptors, right before the ground-bridge closed after her transportation.

Even when Jack and Bulkhead looked at him with worried looks, since Miko seemed _unbelievable_ pissed when she shouted those words, Wheeljack shrugged their concern off saying that there was no way for a human child to actually harm a Cybertronian Wrecker…

It wasn't until a few weeks later, when he woke up covered in pink permanent paint that he had to swallow his words. Apparently, Miko decided to introduce him to another human tradition by the hard way.

If he would've known about April's Fools' Day, he would've thought it twice before offend the human Wrecker…

* * *

 **Total random story, I know...**

 **I hope you liked it! Tell me what you think.**

 **The next one is Arcee (** ** _When going to pick up her partner, Arcee was forced to take a detour… by a pair of thieves…_ ).**


	9. Arcee

**Hi again.**

 **Here's Arcee's one-shot, which was the first one I wrote for this series.**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _When going to pick up her partner, Arcee was forced to take a detour… by a pair of thieves…_

 **Genre:** Humor

* * *

 **-ARCEE-**

 **Hit the Road**

As usual, she went to pick up Jack from college and take him back home; and, as usual, something had to happen in between. Ok, when the teenager found her, two years ago, and she ended up dragging him around town to try to keep him alive, it was a total accident. In fact, in retrospective, it was even funny. But this? This was ridiculous to say the least! _"Ugh… I bet that Cliffjumper is laughing his aft off wherever he is right now…"_ She thought, cursing herself for haven't done anything sooner.

Little after she parked on her usual spot, two punks came from behind, lifted her, and put her on the back of a truck, next to another twenty bikes.

Yes.

She got carjacked…

 _"_ _The guys will never let this go…"_ The femme whined, while trying to figure a way to get out of the trailer, without blow up her cover. In the bottom of her mind she cursed the medics, Ratchet and Knock Out, for being so slow in their little project to enhance the holoforms; Sadie could come kind of handy right now, _if_ she could touch stuff, such as some punk's face. To make it worst, these guys, whoever they are, chained her wheels, tying her to the other bikes in the truck.

The trailer stopped suddenly, making her recoil next to the rest of the cargo.

"Ah! Scrap! That hurt!" She complained under her breath, right before the trailer's door opened. Another bike was deposited right next to her. Great, now she was chained to one more vehicle. The robber shut the door again. "Dammit!" She had no clue where she was.

A responsible bot would call back to base and ask for Fowler's help, since he had the authority to arrest the thieves… But it was Arcee, and she was too stubborn to admit that some humans actually carjacked her, and that she didn't know her current coordinates. No. The two-wheeler would, most certainly, NOT call for help. She was a grownup, and a hardcore warrior; she was completely able to find a way out of this by her own! Wasn't she? _"That's it! I'm outta here!"_ The femme thought, transforming inside of the truck. Thanks the stars she was the smallest bot from the team! She fitted perfectly fine inside of the trailer, as long as she didn't intended to stand up. All she needed to do now was cut the chain, open the door, and hit the road. She would be back home before these guys knew what happened.

Her knives cut the thick chain just fine; now, she had to do the same to the door's safe. But before she could do so, the vehicle stopped once again, and the recoil made her fell flat on top of the other bikes, which were now loose inside the small room. The femme massaged her back, while trying to sit down. Some voices from the outside told her that her robbers heard the noise she made and were coming to check the cargo.

"Scrap!" She cursed, while transforming back into her vehicle mode.

Three men appeared and watched in complete horror that their cargo was ruined, except for three bikes (Arcee included) that survived. The older one was about to explode in rage, when he ordered the other two to dispose of the ruined vehicles, saying that they would only get paid by the ones in impeccable state. Muttering, the subordinates got into the trailer and started to do so, putting Arcee out of the way.

It was a nanosecond, but the robbers happened to look away as they heard another car approach. _"Now!"_ She thought. Instinctively, she turned on her engine, at the same time she activated Sadie, and jumped off the trailer, speeding up towards Jasper. The reflection of the truck and the robbers becoming smaller and smaller on her mirrors made her laugh out loud in happiness… Until a very well-known white car appeared in her view, next to a shiny yellow Camaro. _"Oh, no, please… Why me?"_ The two-wheeler complained, recognizing her friends. They all stopped at the side of the road.

"Arcee! Where have you been?!" Bumblebee asked as if he were a concerned parent or something like that.

"You got Jack worried, ya' know? The kid called back to base, asking for ya whereabouts." Wheeljack commented.

"I'm sorry guys, I didn't want to disappear; it's just that I got…" She mumbled the last part, too embarrassed to admit it.

"You got what?" The Wrecker pressed.

"I was…"

"Spit it out, 'Cee!" The yellow car shouted.

"I WAS CARJACKED! THERE! HAPPY?!"

And the two mechs burst out in laughs, while the bike sped off, trying to leave them behind, knowing that this would be the team's joke until something worst happens…

* * *

 **That's all for now.**

 **I don't know if I'll be able to update next weekend, but I'll try.**

 **Bye!**


	10. Elita-One

**Hello! A late update, here! Haha! Sorry for that, I just have tons of things to do...  
**

 **TheCasualReader: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!**

 **Time to bring up the next character: our dear Elita-One!**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there may be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _After a casual medical check, Elita learns that bringing Optimus back from the Well of the AllSpark had a side effect that nobody foresaw…_

 **Genres:** Humor  & Romance

* * *

 **-ELITA-**

 **A Spark Slip Up…**

Elita was at the base, taking a cold shower after driving under Nevada's unforgiving sun for over three hours. It's been two months since they stopped the Combiners, however, the team decided to remain on Earth and spend as much time as they could with the children. Sighing, she had to admit that she came to like them too… Even Miko. Sometimes, the kids were like a reminder of who she was eons ago, when the war didn't exist, and she was a worker at the spaceport's warehouses. Sometimes it surprised the pink femme to realize how much she changed since then… Back on her days as the two-wheeler designated with the name "Ariel", the femme was terribly outgoing, and loved to have a good time with her best friend Chromia. Of course that those strolls ended when the cerulean femme bonded Ironhide, but it didn't stop Ariel from finding some other companions to talk to… Well, now that she was thinking about it, Elita kind of felt bad for Optimus (Orion, back then), who had to endure her constant blabber for so many quartex…

Once the femme felt that her body temperature was back into normal, she stepped out of the shower, dried herself, and decided to go to the training room for a couple minutes. No way was she going back outside; it was like 50 ºC in the shadow! Well, now she knew why the children called it 'Sunny Jasper, Nevada'. The place was an oven…

Entering the automatized training room, Elita made some stretching exercises before activating a training program. The place filled with booby-traps and cannons that were shooting paintballs at her. However, it was nothing she couldn't handle… Until, after making a roll to avoid a pendulum that came out of one of the walls, the pink femme felt a pang of pain on her right arm, and ran to stop the program.

"Ugh… I must've twisted something." She thought out loud, while unmasking herself and massaging her limb.

Well, there was only one way to be sure of what happened: Ratchet, who was conveniently working at his lab/med-bay. Of course that, as soon as the pink femme entered the room in pain, he stopped whatever experiment he was doing, and went to scan her. Elita took seat on a nearby stretcher and waited to receive a diagnosis.

The medic made a quick scan, but it seemed that something wasn't right, since he soon made another, only to finally arch an eyebrow at the results. The femme cocked her head.

"Something's wrong?" She asked.

"Well… According to this, you don't have any traumatism or anything that explains your pain." He said, shrugging.

"Huh?" Ok, that was weird. Her arm definitely hurt! She wasn't faking it! "Are you sure?"

"I can make you a complete scan, if you want." Ratchet offered, shrugging and furrowing, not really knowing what else to say. "In case this thing is failing, or something…" He added, tapping his scanner with a finger.

Elita was about to agree when the med-bay's door opened behind her, and the old mech's eyes widened at the vision of the newcomer, making the femme feel curious and turn to look… Only to gasp in surprise when Optimus appeared, dirty and with some bumps all over his body. What on Earth happened to him?

The red and blue mech, who was holding his right arm by the shoulder, clearly in pain, asked Ratchet for some help. Apparently, he had a little accident when driving back to the base, and his shoulder junction slightly dislocated.

At the same time that the old medic gestured Optimus to take seat on the stretcher, Elita jumped off it, asking for some further explanation for the mech's state. The taller bot said that, as usual, he finished his round and was on his way back, when he got strangely distracted by his own thoughts; but, since he was in the open road, and in the middle of Nevada's desert, he didn't paid much attention to it… Until a small ball rolled all the way to the center of the road, followed by a dog and a small child… Since he didn't have time to come to a halt, Optimus tried to maneuver around the organic lifeforms; fortunately he, somehow, managed to avoid hitting them. That was the good part of the story; the bad part was that, when his wheels hit the dusty side of the road, he lost control and ended up spinning, until a rock stopped him.

Grunting, the Autobot leader soon realized that there was a whole family at the other side of the road, having a picnic. Considering the luggage, they were tourists stretching their legs after a couple hours of driving… and the father was coming his way to check on the driver. Knowing that it would be harder to explain why there's a truck that has no driver, than to say that a truck suffered an accident and kept driving, Optimus simply restarted his engine and drove off, hoping the family didn't call 911 or something…

At least, the child and the pet were safe.

"Besides the shoulder, you don't seem to have any other serious injury." Ratchet stated after running a scan on the Prime. Then, he proceeded to grab the mech by the right arm. "I'm going to put it back on place, ok? It's going to hurt a little."

Nodding, Optimus let go from his limb to allow the medic to do his job. However, he couldn't help the groan that came out of his throat when Ratchet touched the wounded area. Strangely, Elita also snarled and gripped her right shoulder, closing her eyes.

Both mechs looked at her with curiosity.

"Are you alright?" The blue and red mech asked.

"Yeah… I think I twisted something at the training room." She said, massaging her limb.

"Did you remember to stretch?" Optimus asked, arching an eyebrow.

Elita nodded.

While both leaders talked, Ratchet prepared to accommodate the taller mech's shoulder; noticing that both, Optimus and Elita, grunted in pain at the same time when he performed the technique. As a medic, and a scientist, the white and orange bot arched an eyebrow, and dedicated a look to both of his friends, starting to see a pattern there. In fact, he started to hum, considering his hypothesis. But… It was ridiculous. After all, they weren't… Well, the evidence was telling him otherwise, yet…

"Um… Elita, did your pain desist?" Ratchet suddenly asked at the femme.

The pink bot blinked a couple times in surprise, before notice that her arm was fine now.

Suddenly, the medic closed the med-bay's door, and ran a scan over his two friends, who exchanged a quizzical look. Could it be that Ratchet believed that they were sick or something? Both of them were sure that their health was fine, so, after spare a quick glance towards the older mech, they looked at each other again, both shrugging in confusion.

"Is something the matter, old friend?" Optimus finally asked.

The medic seemed to double check the scan results while silently mutter a 'By the AllSpark' under his breath. Elita's optics widened in worry. Was there something wrong? Were they sick after all? _"Perhaps…"_ The memory of the prototype that Shockwave installed inside of her made the femme grip her chassis, fearing that some side effect was taking place within her spark or something. The mere thought made her shiver, alarming Optimus who gently placed a servo on her shoulder, quietly asking if she was alright. She quickly shook her helm and said that it was nothing, not really wanting to start some panic wave; it was enough to know that the red and blue mech, next to Ironhide and Chromia, shot the Decepticons' chief scientist in the face when he damaged the regulator's prototype under her chassis, almost terminating her.

A deep sigh from Ratchet made both bots come out of their pondering, only to notice a very troubled medic. He seemed to be doubting how to share the news with them. It couldn't be good…

"So… What's the verdict?" Elita tried to joke, as if to lift up the spirits a little bit.

The old mech massaged his neck, still struggling to find words. He wasn't sure of how to aboard this matter, because they obviously weren't aware of it… _"Well, the truth is always the best policy, but… Oh, Primus…"_ He thought, before sigh again while looking at the screen next to him. Maybe… No. He _had_ to tell them about this.

"It appears that… and, trust me, it isn't easier for me to tell this as it's for you to hear it, but…" He bit his lip, and faced his friends whose worries were sky high right now. "Elita, the pain you were feeling wasn't… yours." Ratchet hinted.

The femme knitted her optic-ridges and grimaced in confusion. How comes it wasn't her pain? It was ridiculous! The only way for a Cybertronian to share someone else's feelings was through… a…

Falling into realization, her optics widened once more, and her mouth opened a little bit, while her spark-beat and vents became erratic. Shocked for what the medic was suggesting, the pink bot shook her head in denial, saying that it was impossible.

Next to her, Optimus seemed to understand the implied diagnosis too, since he froze on the spot. Was it possible? Elita was feeling… _his_ pain? But, the only way for such thing to ever happen would mean that their sparks created a…

"Bond…" Both commanders muttered, placing a hand over their chests.

Ratchet nodded.

"And it seems to be strengthening. In fact…" The medic said, while going back to his equipment. "Your sparks are starting to get in synch, which explains why you're starting to feel what the other does."

"B-but… How?!" The pink femme managed to say, struggling with her vocalizer. "None of us was conscious of it, so we…! I mean…" She faced Optimus, hoping that he would be able to speak clearly for both of them.

"Is there any way for us to have created a spark-bond unaware?" The Prime wondered, while patting the femme's back, trying to calm her. Bonded or not, he would be able to feel her tension, even if he was in the Moon.

"I… can't say that I've seen such thing before." Ratchet admitted. "Although…" Suddenly frowning, he eyed his friends, suddenly getting an idea. "May I be curious and ask: how did you bring him back?"

Elita's spark missed many beats as the answer appeared clear in front of her optics: she pulled Optimus's spark back… by revealing her own spark. That must have been how the bond was created without their knowing. It… it was an accident… She bonded their sparks by mere accident. Guilt started to build inside her spirit, as she started to apologize to her friend, saying that she didn't know, that it wasn't her intention to force him into something like that.

Even when Optimus kept repeating that he wasn't mad about it, the pink femme simply kept apologizing, and, finally, left the room in clear distress, saying that she was going for a drive. The Prime followed her with his optics as she left the base.

"I can tell by that look that you still feel the same way…" Ratchet commented to Optimus, with his arms crossed. His lone answer was a confirmative sigh; indeed, not even with a war and a Matrix in between, Orion stopped loving Ariel. Regardless of their new designations. "Aren't you going after her?" He asked, pointing the door with his head.

"She needs time to think about this matter." The taller mech said, not looking at his friend.

"But you're still going, don't you?" The medic retorted, slyly smirking.

And, then, the unexpected: Optimus ―behaving like his old self, Orion― rolled his optics and grunted, while crossing his arms, only to end up glaring at his old good friend. Ratchet couldn't help but chuckle.

… … …

Elita didn't know how long she drove, nor where she was right now, only that it was already sunset, and that the team might be wondering what happened to her. She was ―probably― still near from Jasper; however, her mood wasn't yet good enough to return, so the femme decided to get off the road and stretch her legs. _"Wait, I can't. I'll be seen if I do that…"_ The warrior remembered, reason why she simply turned off her engine and stood where she was… until the tall silhouette of a rock structure met her gaze. Getting an idea, she drove up to it.

By the time the sun finally disappeared in the horizon, she was sitting atop the rock, just zooming out, lost in thoughts. She really hoped that their sparks weren't so in synch that Optimus would be receiving her depression at the moment… It wasn't like she didn't want to be with him; the problem was that… it… It has been so long!

* * *

 _"_ _Ariel? Are you ok?"_

 _The pink two-wheeler suddenly got her face-plates off the datapads she was holding, and looked at her companion with wide optics, almost begging him to repeat the question. As answer, the tall red and blue clerk who was sitting next to her sighed and asked what she was reading. After blinking a few more times, she passed the writings over to him. He clearly didn't expect the contains of the pad to be a bunch of financial accounts…_

 _"_ _Since when you're in charge of the warehouses' accounts?" He wondered, arching an eyebrow._

 _"_ _Since the guy who was supposed to do it decided to take a cycle off due to, and I quote, 'stress'." She growled. Then, after look at the datapads for half klik, she sighed, put them down and looked back to her sparkmate. "I'm sorry, Orion… We were supposed to be enjoying ourselves; instead, I'm doing my coworker's job." She apologized, only to, almost immediately, growl again and cross her arms, averting her angered optics. "Now I know my boss hates me…"_

 _The clerk couldn't help but chuckle at the petite femme's complains, kind of amused; although, he was kind of pissed too… After all, it was true; they both asked for a day off on their jobs, so they could spend that afternoon together and have some quality time. Thanks to their employments they didn't have much time to spare and do couple things. Actually, this was their first date in months!_

 _The mech sighed and looked back at his sparkmate._

 _"_ _Economy isn't my specialty, but… I know a clerk at the Hall who may be able to help you." He offered, and couldn't help but smile when Ariel's optics brightened up at the idea. "He owes me a favor." He quickly added…_

 _And the femme jumped up in joy._

 _"_ _You don't know how much I love you right now!" She cheered, kneeling on the bench they were sitting on, so she could throw her arms around his neck and peck him on the cheek._

 _Thanks to Orion's gesture, the femme was finally able to enjoy the date, which wasn't anything too big, just a nice stroll through the crystal gardens to escape Iacon's constant noise. And, as usual, the amount of couples wandering around the place was overwhelming… Wherever she glanced to, there were two bots holding hands, or acting all lovely-dovely._ "Please tell me we don't look like that…" _The pink two-wheeler thought, when her optics landed on two Cybertronians who were probably the cheesiest couple ever._

 _Orion seemed to notice and chuckled._

 _"_ _Don't worry. We don't look like that." He assured her, gently stroking her back._

 _The femme sighed._

 _"_ _Thanks, I needed to hear it…" She admitted, a servo on her chassis. Although she enjoyed the little, sweet, romantic gestures that the clerk usually showed towards her, Ariel was very conscious of their age. They were no sparklings; they were both fully adults, wanting a serious and long-termed relationship with each other. For so the idea of them looking like a pair of love-struck younglings was a little terrifying… Besides, it would be an indication of some maturity problem within their processors._

 _And, speaking of a more serious and long-termed relationship… Orion suddenly started to talk about their time together; only to, finally, ask her if she would complete the ceremony to become his Conjux Endura._

 _Ariel felt her spark miss a few beats, before her head could actually understand what he just asked her… But the moment the question fell in place inside of her processor, the two-wheeler accepted right away._

 _Only one problem: the war broke out before they could fulfill the fourth step; plus, she ended in a stretcher, with Alpha Trion and Ratchet doing the impossible to keep her alive, while Orion received the Matrix and became Optimus Prime…_

 _So far for their plans to become one…_

* * *

Elita wasn't sure of _when_ she dozed off, only that, when she woke up due to a gently hand on her shoulder, the sky was already dark; and, standing next to her, Optimus was trying to wake her up.

"I was just resting my optics…" She said (yawned), rubbing her face.

"We worried when you didn't return to base." The mech told her, while taking seat next to the pink commander.

At first, he truly believed that she just wanted to be alone; later, that Elita was yet trying to understand the situation they were currently in… But, after seven hours? His spark was completely restless, and, fearing the worst, he locked the ground-bridge on her coordinates and decided to check on the femme. Optimus's relief when he realized that the reason why she never reported was that she simply fell into recharge couldn't be described…

"Sorry; it wasn't my intention." Elita apologized, lowering her optics and dangling her legs off the rock's edge.

Then, they remained there, in silence; thing that the pink femme appreciated deeply. She wasn't yet completely comfortable with the idea of being bonded with her old sparkmate. After all, they haven't have the time to actually sit down and talk about their previous situation, nor about their future… _"Maybe, we could do that now?"_ She thought, looking at her companion through her eye's corner. Optimus was simply sitting cross-legged, not even two feet away, gazing the horizon and absently watching the cars' headlights in the nearby road. _"He hasn't changed a bit…"_ Elita realized, smirking a little, remembering that, in one occasion, they stood the same; they sat at the warehouses' roof and silently gazed the stars for joors, just because she had a really bad day, and needed to cool down somehow.

If she could only go back to those days… Life seemed so much easier back then.

Not really knowing what to say, the femme simply looked up, noticing a line of three shinning stars which she recognized, thanks to the kids who were doing their homework at base.

"Orion." She mumbled… and accidentally gained Optimus's attention. "Wha-? N-no! I meant…" Quickly, noticing that the mech's optics were now looking at her wit curiosity, she pointed up. "The constellation! Orion, the Hunter." If her species were capable of it, Elita knew that her face would be bright red at that moment. Instead, she was fighting her engines from overheating.

The Prime took a brief glance of the stars, and, then arched an eyebrow at his companion.

"You know about Earth's constellations?" He asked. It was the first time that Elita ever showed to know something about the planet they were currently in; and, given the short amount of time since their awakening, he thought that she and his other two friends were yet learning.

"Not really. The kids taught me when I surprised the little one doing some research for her school…" The femme explained, shrugging a little. "I guess that I learnt this particular one because of its name. I mean, what were the possibilities, right?" She added with an amused smile.

Against all chances, Optimus chuckled at the explanation, and admitted that he found it funny too; after all, they were galaxies away from home, yet they seemed to have something in common with humankind. Especially considering that the stars were named after a mythological character…

Truth be said, she did find that funny too.

"There isn't one called Ariel, is it? Because _that_ would be weird." Elita joked, fighting back a laugh at the mere idea of such thing happening.

"Not as far as I know. However, my knowledge about Earth's astral figures is limited." He said with a bright and warm smile that made him look more like his old self ―the shy and gentle clerk, Orion Pax―, rather than a Prime.

"A former archivist accepting that his knowledge is incomplete… Wow, I wish I would've had a camera." The femme laughed, smiling deviously, while rising one of her knee junctions, just enough for her to hug her leg.

Optimus rolled his optics and softly shook his helm, his shoulders shaking a little in amusement. An emergency upgrade, a civil war, and a stasis of over half million years… and, yet, Elita proved to him, one more time, that she was, and she would always be, Ariel… His beloved Ariel. The sudden realization hit the red and blue mech really hard in the spark. Sure, they both changed since the last time they saw each other before the _Ark_ was launched, but… In moments like this one, he could still see that they were still… _they_.

He still loved this femme, regardless of her new designation or frame design; there was no doubt within his spark. The question was: does she loves him back? Even after all the things that happened in between?

If there was one thing that both of them hated was to be waving in the indecision; so, it wasn't exactly a surprise that, since both of them wanted to be sure of each other's mind about their recently discovered bond, the two commanders suddenly turned to talk at the same time.

"Optimus, I…"

"Elita…"

Both of them stopped immediately, and tried to make their companion to take the word first… unsuccessfully. In the end, they kept trying to talk at the same time over and over… Until them both burst out in laughs.

It wasn't the first time this happened to these two bots either. The commanders could yet remember when they tried to confess their feelings for the first time… The poor love-struck Cybertronians thanked to Heavens that none of their friends was anywhere near to see the silliness they showed, when stumbling upon each other's voice every time they opened their mouths.

"Alright… If this doesn't prove that we're still the same two idiots, I don't know what does!" Elita finally commented, chortling and thrusting her servos up in the air in a desperate manner.

"At least this time we didn't stumble upon a table…" Optimus _actually_ joked, remembering his own fail: he was so flustered the first time he tried to confess, that he didn't see they were walking in front of a café… and he kind of walked into a ―fortunately― empty table.

"Hey! That was you, not me!" She retorted, playfully smacking the Prime's shoulder.

It was at that moment when both Cybertronians felt something warm within their spark-chambers, and both of them reached for their chassis. It took them a minute or two to identify the strange feeling, and realize that it was their sparks reacting to each other's presence; thing that made them stare at their companion's optics, knowing that the existence of the bond was undeniable now. Elita was the first one in look away, still unsure of what to do about it… A spark-bond was unbreakable. It tied two souls for life, and the loss of one of the halves meant that the surviving mate would endure an emotional suffering like any other; meaning that, if something happened to her, it would rebound on Optimus's spark… hurting him. _"And I did this to us… unknowingly…"_ She thought, sighing.

Even when their connection wasn't yet strong enough to willingly share feelings and memories, Prime didn't need it to feel bad due to her depressed looks. Not knowing whether he was going to rub more salt on the wound, or actually give her some comfort, the mech decided to take this chance to speak his mind about their recently discovered bond:

"Elita, does your feelings for me… remain?" He asked, not looking at her.

"What?" She rose her face and stared at her companion in disbelief. Was he doubting her? Even after this long? "Of course!" The femme answered, kind of pissed for being doubted. "Look at my optics, Optimus." She ordered, and he did so. "If you have any questions about my fidelity, then speak them up clearly." The pink bot demanded, leaning in until her furrowed eyes were inches away from her companion's widened ones.

Deny that the red and blue mech was kind of taken aback by the anger in the femme's voice would be a lie… Optimus knew very well how much damage Elita could make when pissed off; and his question seemed to have done just that… In fact, a part of his processor was considering the idea of back off from the cliff's border, just in case…

Better explain himself quickly, for his aft's ―and his spark's― welfare.

"I would never doubt you, Elita. All I want to know is if you would agree to become my Conjux Endura."

And, like a charm, her frown disappeared and a surprised stare took over the femme's factions, as she backed up, returning Optimus some of his personal space.

"You… still want to?" She asked, arching an eyebrow and sitting over her calves, so they could be face to face.

"I never stopped." He admitted. "In fact, when I entered the Well of the AllSpark I…" He averted his face. "I hoped to reunite with you… since I thought that you were terminated by the explosions…" The red and blue mech closed his optics at the memory. It was yet too painful to remember the way in which the launch platform gave in under Elita, Chromia and Ironhide, swallowing them, making the three of them disappear in a cloud of smoke and fire.

A sudden and tender peck on his cheek made the Prime open his eyes, only to notice that the pink femme was leaning towards him once more, but, this time, with peaceful intentions.

"You know I don't break that easy." She said to calm him down, smiling. It seemed to work, since his lips curved up too, and a soft chuckle was followed by a nod.

For a moment there, Elita didn't see the great Optimus Prime, but her beloved Orion Pax. And, then, she understood why he wanted to fulfill the ceremony they started over four million years ago: because he understood that, deep down, they were still the same two people from back then. Sure, they changed; but that's the thing with being alive, isn't it? After all, even if they would've performed the rictus beforehand, they would've changed anyway… only that together.

"We're just missing the Act of Devotion…" She, then, said, remembering how far they got.

"Maybe not." Optimus commented, looking straight into Elita's face with decision. She, on the other hand, seemed confused by his statement. "Even though the war kept us away for eons, we've never stopped loving each other, nor have we broke our vow of fidelity." He explained, and, with every word, the mech could see the realization sinking deeper into the femme's mind. "If that doesn't prove our diligence and devotion to each other, I don't know what will." He finished, while gently placing one hand on Elita's left cheek, caressing it carefully, as if she were made of glass.

Leaning into the touch, the pink bot smiled, realizing that he was right. And so, as she lain her forehead against Optimus's, the femme, gladly, accepted to become his Conjux.

Smiling, both leaders were about to kiss… only to be rudely interrupted by the Prime's commlink, which pinged in the worst time.

"Yes, Ratchet?" He picked up, not really wanting the medic to send a rescue team for him.

« _Did you find Elita? It's almost midnight, already, and the team…!_ »

"She's with me, old friend. All is fine." As he said this, a sigh came through the line.

« _What a relief… I'll open a ground-bridge at your-_ » This time, it was the femme's turn to interrupt the white and orange mech.

"No need, Ratch. Orion and I have a lot of catch up to do, and we're not far anyway." She said, activating her commlink, while winking at her mate at the 'catch up' part. Needless to say that Optimus's fans almost kicked in at that moment…

« _Uh… Alright… Call if you need anything._ » With that, the medic hung up and the call was over.

Suddenly, since there were no more interruptions, Elita wrapped her arms around her mate's neck.

"Where were we?" She asked playfully, leaning her forehead against the mech's one.

Smirking, the red and blue bot passed his arms around the femme's waist and pulled her closer; then, she closed the distance between their mouths. Both of them enjoying their reunion… and without any rush to go back to base…

* * *

 **Man, I missed write pure and cheesy romance...**

 **The scene of Optimus suddenly reminded me that I haven't yet finished the one-shot where the holoforms are introduced... I really need to finish it, so I can create even crazier things for the bots XD**

 **Oh, well... In case I don't finish it soon, the next bot in line will be Bumblebee!**

 **Tell me what you think!**

 **See ya!**


	11. Bumblebee

**What's up? How're you doing?**

 **Since I missed last weekend, I'm publishing next one-shot tonight. I really hope you enjoyed Elita's, because there're more couples coming up. ;)**

 **So, here comes Bumblebee's one-shot, so, I thought that I should tell you that I'm going to make a little allusion to my previous fic _Parenting_ next to _Redemption_. You remember that, in the chapter 'Person of Interest', Bee said to Knock Out that Ironhide saved him and his best friend, the night the 'Cons attacked the day care he was living in, right? And, if you also read _Parenting_ , you'll know that, once he hit puberty, our favorite yellow mech grew a crush on a femme of his trainning group; remember?**

 **Well, time for this mysterious friend, and the unknown femme to come into the light; don't you think?**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Bumblebee has been promoted to Lieutenant, reason why the whole team went to attend the ceremony to congratulate their friend. However, there's one more person in there which the young warrior didn't expect to see again…  
_

 **Genre:** Family  & Friendship

* * *

 **-BUMBLEBEE-**

 **Beside You**

It wasn't a really big ceremony, though the whole police department where he was working as law enforcer was there. But, what he really cared about, was the fact that all his friends were there with him, even Knock Out. However, what warmed his spark, was the fact that Optimus, Ratchet and Ironhide were there, watching the whole thing. Even Raf! Huh… Thinking about it, Bumblebee knew that he had to thank Agent Fowler for borrowing the astronaut suit to his partner once they were back on Earth… Trying hard not to chuckle in the middle of Ultra Magnus's speech about how he honored his job with a loyalty beyond all duty, the yellow warrior remembered how excited the children were when he received the message about his promotion to Lieutenant. The four of them wanted to come along ―Miko even volunteered to record the whole thing. Eventually, Fowler had to tell the other three kids that he could only ask _one_ suit borrowed, reason why they all chose Raf.

Fighting back a smirk at the memory of the children's euphoria, Bumblebee's optics concentrated in the figures of the three mechs who raised him...

And, suddenly, he felt like that little yellow and hyperactive sparkling, running around a military outpost, playing with other kids like him, and with some of the youngest soldiers around ―he had plenty memories of the twins, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. He remembered when Ironhide found him and his best friend running for their lives, trying to get as far from the battle zone as possible; and how the red mech quickly picked them up and carried them back to base, next to all the sparklings they could find at the day care. Once at safety, they were taken to the med-bay, where he met Ratchet…

A chuckle threatened with come out of his mouth.

Oh, boy… How he loved to drive the old medic nuts. No particular reason for it, though. It was just funny to make him angry… He lost count of how many times he forced the old bot to chase him down the hallways, or made him struggle with him for daily scans, not to mention the many times when, just because he and his best friend were feeling lonely, they played at the medical bay despite that it was off-limits for sparklings ―the first time they broke something, it became pretty clear of why. And still, whenever he felt sick, got hurt, or simply needed medical attention, Ratchet would treat him as if he was his own sparkling.

And then was Optimus. It was still a little hard to believe that the last of the Primes showed him so much patience, and that listened to him every single time he complained about something, only to immediately receive an advise. He would never say it out loud, less of all in front of others, but the blue and red mech earned the honorary title of sire in the young warrior's mind. After all, if he was still alive was mostly thanks to that mech.

Those three mechs were, for eons, the closest thing to a family for him. They acted as his guardians, and the rest of the team were his big brothers and sisters ―Ultra Magnus, who kept talking, could be the strict uncle―, including the children; specifically Rafael. That kid was really like a blood-related brother to him, even though they were from totally different species. But, the fact that he was the only human who could understand him was what made him chose the youngest child as his partner. It was the best decision he ever made! He got a best friend, younger brother, and someone to play with, all in the same person! It was too bad that humans lives so shortly compared to his own species, but… Well, he couldn't do anything about it; only make every second count.

Finally, the speeches were over and Bumblebee had to snap out of his thoughts and step forward to receive his medal, and his new rank. Everyone applauded at him. It was a happy moment that finished in five kliks, but it was perfect as it was. Once the ceremony was over, it was time to go back to Earth where the other children were waiting.

As he walked down of the platform watching his new medal, the warrior couldn't help but smile, thinking that he finally accomplished his dream of being a real warrior, and of making Optimus, Ratchet and Ironhide proud.

"Seems you made it, 'Bee."

The young mech's doorwings stood up at the sudden feminine voice; one that he hadn't hear in too long.

"Galatea?!" He said in disbelief while turning around to look at the white, grey and magenta femme.

The memory of the night when the Decepticons raided the day care where he spent his first stellar-cycles returned to his processor. He could see with luxury of detail how he jumped off his little berth, and, seeing the bots of red optics, ran towards the next room where he saw the lavender gleam of his best friend's optics, glowing in the darkest corner of the room where the sparkling was hiding. He remembered how he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the place, how they climbed out of the window, and how they ran until their pedes hurt.

The Autobots took them in, and allowed them to grow up together in the safety of the biggest base the faction had. But, she was a femme, and, when both of them joined the Autobots and came to age, she was transferred to Elita's team. They never saw each other again, until Tyger Pax… when they had a big fight and lost all touch.

See that she was alright and right there next to him again was amazing. In fact, before noticing, he gave her a hug.

"It's great to see you, Gal!" He exclaimed, happily. Though his only answer was to be slightly pushed away.

"Same here." She said, and crossed her arms, while arching an eyebrow. " _But_ I still remember half the things you said to me…"

It sent chills down the warrior's spinal strut. Oh, scrap… She wasn't still mad for it, was she? Because, if that was so, then he had to run for his life and don't look back. He could still remember a fight they had, before Tyger Pax, when they were both barely reaching their teenage years, and she totally ignored him for two whole quartex, _and then_ though she paid attention to whenever he talked to her, she refused to talk back. They spent a whole stellar-cycle like that, until the femme accepted his apologies.

And that time they fought because of a training that went wrong…

"You… aren't still mad for it… Right?" He asked with an awkward smirk, his shoulders and doorwings tense.

Galatea narrowed her optics. Scrap. She was yet angry for that fight. Well, not that he could blame her, after all he did say pretty insensitive stuff… Some of it was meant for him more than for her, because he was terribly pissed and embarrassed. It was his first leading mission, and he screwed it up! Not only that, but he also managed to lose his voice-box! He had to learn to communicate with mere beeps and chirps. He _had_ reasons to be mad… Only that, he shouldn't have discharged his disappointment on her…

Sighing, he lowered his optics at the same time he dropped his shoulders and doorwings.

"I'm sorry, Gal… I never meant to say those things to you. I was just mad at myself; because I couldn't believe that I was stupid enough, not only to fall into an ambush being a scout, but to, also, get my voice-box ripped off. And all in my first leading mission!" Bumblebee explained. "I wanted to apologize, but you never returned my calls." He added.

"Of course not. I blocked your commlink, Scraplet-face." The femme chuckled, smirking and placing her hands at the sides of her hip.

Bumblebee blinked for a moment, before let go a laugh at the name she gave him. It was the same she used to call him when they fought as sparklings.

"Shut up, Rust Princess!" He retorted, smiling widely, and giving her a very slight push on the shoulder.

Galatea joined him in the laughs as he remembered how he called her when angry, back when they were kids.

The whole pretended fight warmed Bumblebee's spark, and, suddenly, he felt like a sparkling again. The memories of the happiness he felt when little, during those vorns in which Galatea was his best friend and partner in pranks and arguments, were coming back to him, plastering a big smile on his mouth.

After a while exchanging their old childish 'insults' at each other, the femme gave up and hugged him too; both of them bended over while laughing, with an arm passed around the other. It made both of them happy. It felt just right to be back together.

"So, you're back on the planet?" The mech finally asked, when their laughs faded, and they let go from each other.

"Yup! The ship I was in arrived a couple quartex ago, and I found this apartment…" She made a grimace and scratched the back of her neck. "It's far from perfect and is teeny-weenie, but it works. Besides, I can't afford anything bigger right now." She said with a shrug.

"Oh, trust me… I understand the feeling." Bumblebee commented, rolling his eyes. Then, he remembered something. "Say, I remember you were a sniper. What do you do for a living now?"

Her optics widened. He knew she was embarrassed, because she always acted the same way when flustered over something: her arms stuck to the sides of her body, her feet together, head up, widened eyes, arched eyebrows. _That_ was Galatea's branded embarrassed expression.

"I… was… I kind of… Well…" Her optics started to divert towards the figure of Ultra Magnus, who was talking with Prowl at the other side of the place. Arching an eyebrow, Bumblebee followed her eyes, noticing that she was looking at the blue mech behind him; however, he cocked his helm, not truly understanding what the Wrecker had to do with this. "Are you friends with the commander?"

"Huh? Um… Well, I don't know if 'friends' is the right word with Magnus. But we did served together in the final days of the war, and faced the Combiners together; and, sure, I have a very high concept of him. But… Maybe call _that_ a friendship is a little too much." He answered, looking for the right word to put it. In his mental map of his acquaintances he already decided that Ultra Magnus could take the part of the strict uncle; but he would never dare to say that out loud, and less of all near the blue bot.

"You know the Council put a tail on him when all this mayhem started not too long ago, right?" She said, receiving a nod from the yellow bot, who still see no connection. "Well…"

Suddenly, Galatea pointed at herself with narrowed optics… and everything fell into place inside Bumblebee's processor.

"You were the spy?!" He yelled, not believing it. She gave him a small and awkward smirk. "Wow… It is a small multiverse after all…"

"No kidding!" The grey femme chuckled. "Hey, what you say we go for a drink? We could catch up with each other; after twenty thousand vorns of being apart, I'm sure we have enough stories to bore us to termination." She proposed with a warm smile.

… … …

The rest of the team were already on their way to the space-bridges, Raf included ―they needed to take him back to Earth before his air supply ran off―, while Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet went to look after Bumblebee who didn't meet with them as promised. So the three mechs walked back towards the auditorium were the ceremony took place, looking for the yellow bot. None of them were truly worried for him, believing probable that the kid was simply talking with some co-worker, or something like that. They saw the silhouette of Ultra Magnus speaking to the middle brother of the Triplets, Prowl. The commander got a glimpse of his three friends, reason why, knowing who they were looking for, gestured them to the side of the small stage. Optimus nodded to thank him, and told the other two where to go.

However… They didn't expect to see him with _her_.

"By the AllSpark! Is that…?" Ratchet wondered at the vision of the young light grey and magenta femme with lavender detailing. She might've grown, but he could still remember her as sparkling.

"It is! Galatea!" Ironhide said, chuckling in happiness. He could recognize the little femme he rescued next to Bumblebee anywhere, anytime, no matter how many years passed. "Ha! I can't believe she's here!" He commented, while attempting to take a step towards the two young bots… only to be stopped by Optimus's hand.

"I believe best for our young friend's reputation that we wait here." The tallest mech said with a warm smile.

At the suggestion, Ratchet couldn't help but chuckle, remembering the reason of why their friend told them to stay put. And it was then when Ironhide almost let go a thundering laugh.

… … …

"Sorry, Gal… I mean… I was planning to pass a little time on Earth. You'll see, I made such a good friend back there, it's like a little brother to me. But, humans' lives are so short that…"

"You want to enjoy it while you can." She completed for him with a tender smile. "I understand." Then, she gave him another hug. "I'm happy you're fine, 'Bee! And talking!" She let go when he chuckled. "I really missed your voice. You were the only one who talked to me when we were little…" She remembered, depressing.

"The others were scared of your temper." The yellow mech teased, receiving a punch on the shoulder. "Aha! See? You have anger issues…"

"You haven't seen my temper yet!" Galatea laughed, and was soon accompanied by Bumblebee's giggles. Once their vents normalized, she turned to leave. "Well… See you around, I guess, _lieutenant_."

The yellow bot chuckled at the overdramatic mention of his new title.

"Sure." However, before she could walk away, he grabbed her by the wrist. The femme turned to look at him with a quizzical look on her optics, which were now cerulean; but he could still see a shade of lavender at the irises borders. "Try to call from time to time, ok? I missed you too." He asked.

Smiling, Galatea nodded, before slip her servo so she could give him a strong grip on the hand. Then, to the young mech's surprise, she pecked him on the cheek before say goodbye once more, and finally leave.

Bumblebee's spark missed a few beats at the gesture. It could've been nothing from the femme's point of view, only a proof of tender affection towards her only childhood friend; but for him…

Sighing, he remembered that, when the two of them reached what humans would call puberty, he developed a crush for her. Only one problem: she never showed to return his feelings; so, after noticing that nothing he did impressed her, the youngling eventually resigned himself to the idea and tried his best not to ruin their friendship. The moment after their argument, when he was yet recovering from Tyger Pax's ambush, he thought he lost that too… It was great to know that Galatea put it behind her, and that they were still friends.

"There you are!" Ironhide's voice called his attention, and brought Bumblebee back to reality, only to see that the red mech, next to Ratchet and Optimus were walking up to him. "Ready to go? The others are waiting at the bridges." The weapons specialist asked, his hands resting at the sides of his hip.

"Yeah! Let's go!" The newly named lieutenant said happily, with a bright smile, while walking towards the three mechs.

Since he started to walk in front of the three older bots, he completely missed their complicity smiles. Good. Because Bumblebee would've probably fainted of embarrassment if any of the adults would've mentioned Galatea… Especially Ironhide, who was the first one in notice his crush towards the femme back when they were under his training… and he was, also, the one who almost laughed his aft off when he saw the yellow bot's face when she pecked him ―good thing that Ratchet and Optimus covered his mouth on time.

* * *

 **I have this uncanny ability to create stories and place them all in different points of the same timeline (save for weird exceptions). So, anyone wants to guess who's the mother of Bumblebee's sparklings in _Parenting_? XD**

 **Our next character will be Fowler ( _Have been surrounded by aliens for quite a long time now, the Special Agent William Fowler should be prepared for anything by now… Well. Almost_ ).  
**

 **See ya!**


	12. Fowler

**Hi, everyone. How're you doing? I hope you're fine! :)**

 **To the Guest from last chapter: I know they have the AllSpark producing babies faster than rabbits, but the only reason for a species to have two different genders is... Well, for reproductive reasons XD And, given that, at least in this show, the bots clearly recognizes between males (mechs) and females (femmes), it wouldn't be crazy to believe that they** ** _can_** **reproduce that way too, and, for so, feel attraction towards the opossite sex. Or, at least, that's my way of seeing it...**

 **Now, let's move forward with this stories' collection, because I still have some more surprises under my sleeve...! ...Next to some more few bad jokes XD**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Have been surrounded by aliens for quite a long time now, the Special Agent William Fowler should be prepared for anything… Well. Almost._

 **Genre:** Humor

* * *

 **-AGENT FOWLER-**

 **The Wonders of my Job…**

Fowler was driving towards the base with Millie next to him, since the school was closed due to some electricity issue. Not that he nor the girl minded it; after all, it was the perfect excuse to spend the day together… with the bots, sure, but… Oh, well. He agreed to let them into his family too, even before adopt his daughter. So of course that he would, then, give Knock Out, who offered to help Sunscorch to watch over Millie, a chance; the others were doing an excellent job with the other kids after all!

"Dad?" Millie called. "Miko and the others were talking about make a movies marathon this weekend. Can it be at our place, please?" She asked.

A movies marathon, huh? It sounded fun and inoffensive enough…

"Sure. No problem." He agreed with a shrug, receiving a joyful smile. "But you all must go to sleep before one in the morning. Do we have a deal?"

"I'll tell the others!" The girl said, while pulling out her cellphone.

"No need for that. We're almost at base." Fowler stopped her, gesturing to the hangars that were already at view.

Once they were inside the facilities, the black man drove all the way to Hangar E, where he parked, before his daughter and he got out of the vehicle. On the few steps that separated them from the elevator, a soldier came up to him, saying that general Bryce wanted to meet later that day. It made the agent arch an eyebrow, wondering what happened this time; because he knew that his superior wouldn't call for him if the bots didn't do anything. _"What did you do now, Prime?"_ He wondered, while following his daughter to the entrance.

Maybe, they found the location of Thundercracker or Solar Flare and tried to seize them, but something went wrong? Did someone else saw them? He hoped not. It was bad enough when the children came into contact with the bots… It took a lot of patience from him to come to accept the fact that the bots got in touch with civilians; but, hey, Prime proved that he could handle it. _"Well… That guy behaves more like a father than a military chief."_ He thought, while glancing to some reports that were practically tossed to him on the way to the elevator. However, when he looked up when entering the Autobots' headquarters, Fowler had a pretty good idea of why Bryce wanted to meet: the place was filled with humans…

The governmental agent's jaw fall at the scene, in which the kids and Ratchet were casually talking to a bunch of people; all of them were adults dressed in colorful outfits.

If it wasn't because of Millie was already walking closer to Jack and the others, none of them would've noticed the middle age man standing at the elevator's door like a statue.

"Agent Fowler? Is something the matter?" Ratchet asked, arching an eyebrow.

"What the…?! PRIME!" He yelled, stomping into the place, opening way through the stranger's group, pushing them out of his way. "PRIME!" He called again, before notice the red truck that was at the control room, next to all the other team members. For some odd reason, they were using their vehicle mode indoors. "Prime! What in Abraham Lincoln's name do you think you're doing?!"

"Um… Agent Fowler…" Jack tried to talk with an amused smirk on the lips.

"Not now, son." The adult snarled, before turn again to the team. None of them transformed, nor attempted to talk to him. "What's this, doc?! The ice treatment?!" He asked, looking at Ratchet briefly, before go back to the truck.

"First: don't call me 'doc'! Second: if you allow me to explain…"

"I want Prime to explain what does this mean!" Fowler interrupted the medic, while gesturing to the group behind him. "We had a deal! You can stay in here as long as you want, but nobody besides my men and these children are allowed to see you!" He barked. "Did Prime blew up a fuse or something?! Why on Earth did he allowed these strangers in?!" The agent shouted towards Ratchet, who couldn't help but flinch at the sudden outburst.

"Agent Fowler…" A baritone voice called, tiredly.

The middle age man recognized that voice. But… It couldn't be… Or could it?

Turning around, the black man found himself face to face with a tall, middle age, Caucasian man of black hair and blue eyes, dressing a trench red coat, a black t-shirt, blue pants, and black military boots. A silver grey Autobot badge was hanging from the side of his belt. Despite of look human, there was no doubt that he was…

" ** _PRIME?!_** " The governmental agent yelled, recoiling.

His lone answer was a sympathetic smile. Then, as Fowler started to look at the other strangers, he started to see some similarities with the bots, like the colors they were dressing.

Were these people… _the bots_?!

"It's called a holoform." Ratchet said, dryly. "Knock Out, Rafael and I have been working on it for a couple weeks now. The idea is to be capable of generate a solid holographic form that resembles a human being, in order to interact more freely with your world." The medic explained. "However, we're yet doing some calibrations. There're a few details that must be adjusted." He added, while going back to his tools.

"How're the Energon levels? Stable, or are we still burning too much of it?" A guy of red wavy hair and blue eyes, dressed in a scarlet red leather outfit ―a jacket and a skintight pant―, with a grey tank top, and black military boots asked. He seemed to be between his late twenties and mid-thirties. Was he...?

" **Knock Out**?!" The governmental agent cried.

The guy cringed at the shout.

"The one and only." The surgeon's holoform said, while massaging his ears.

Then, looking over his shoulder, Fowler saw Millie talking to another holoform. It was a sculptural, blond, tall woman dressed in a crimson leather outfit that resembled Knock Out's, only that her jacket was closed, and it was short, reason why her flat stomach was visible. Plus, she was wearing a belt that was a golden chain, and her boots ―which reached up to her calves― were brown. She had a large scar on her face... _"S-Sunscorch?!"_ He wondered. _That_ was Knock Out's girlfriend?!

He kept looking around: Arcee was a short thirty years old Caucasian woman, with pink highlights on her short black hair. Blue leather motorcycle outfit, with black boots and gloves. Blukhead was an Afro-American man in his mid-forties, with shaved hair, who wore a black t-shirt, and green military pants; plus green military gloves. Bumblebee was hard to miss: a blond guy in his early twenties, dressing a bright yellow sports outfit that had black details ―the jacket's shoulders, four vertical lines on the back, the zipper, the t-shirt underneath, and the belt. Smokescreen dressed similar to 'Bee; only that in different colors ―electric blue jacket and pants, combined with white snickers, and a white t-shirt that had yellow stripes―, and his hair wasn't blond but reddish brown. Nightglider and Wheeljack were chatting a little further away. The flyer had jet black hair and was wearing a black jumpsuit with red details, such as his belt and boots; also, he had his tattoo in his left forearm ―since he doesn't have wings in human form, and didn't want to hide it on his back, he felt that it was the right place. His holoform was somewhere around the thirties. The Wrecker ―who seemed to be around his mid-forties, although, thanks to the dark grey hair he seemed closer to the fifties― was wearing a white trench coat that had light green detailing, an orange t-shirt underneath, worn out black jeans, and military boots.

Going back to where Prime was standing, saw another three persons. The first one was a Caucasian woman of thirty and some years, with long black hair and cerulean eyes; she was wearing a pink leather outfit, with a black tank top underneath. She also had black dressing boots that reached her knees, and the Autobot insignia hanging from her belt, such as Optimus's. There was no doubt that it was Elita. Meaning that the bulky tanned man of dark brown hair dressed in a white t-shirt, a red jacket and dark grey jeans was Ironhide; and the woman of short messy black hair next to him was Chromia. This last femme was dressed with a long and baggy white sweatshirt of long sleeves that reached past her hip ―the cleavage revealed a cerulean tank top underneath―, and a denim waistcoat that combined with her worn out blue jeans. She was also wearing brown buskins.

What on Earth was going on?! Since when were they able to look so… human?! Suddenly, Fowler felt that everything around him was spinning…

"I don't know why, but you all are burning too much Energon…" Ratchet informed, looking at the screens. Then, he sighed. "Deactivate the avatars until further advice. Knock Out, Rafael, let's go back to the lab. Something must've escaped us during the programming…" He said.

The holographic decoys nodded and faded away in front of Fowler's eyes, who couldn't help but yelp when the crowd disappeared as ghosts. Five seconds later the bots transformed and stretched in the middle of the control room, while the doctors and Rafael went back to the medical bay to see if they could solve the technical issues of their little experiment.

"Huh… It felt weird to be of your size." Nightglider commented, arching an eyebrow and looking at the kids.

"Now you know how we feel when talking to you." Jack retorted, crossing his arms.

"I didn't feel so different. I'm still shorter than everyone…" Arcee commented, placing her hands at the sides of her hip, shrugging.

"Hey, Bulk! Once this is perfectly functional, we're _so_ going to go watch a monster truck rally together!" Miko cheered, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Let's wait 'til Ratchet fixes the Energon issue first, ok?" The green Wrecker chuckled, gesturing the Japanese girl to calm down.

"Sun…" Millie called, walking up to her guardian. "You chose _that_ form just to tease Knock Out, didn't you?" She asked, smirking.

"That obvious?" The Wrecker femme said, trying hard not to laugh out loud. True be said, she did chose a tall and attractive blonde as her holoform, just to give her sparkmate a spark-attack… And it worked. The surgeon sure hoped that it was only a test ride of her, and not her permanent avatar. "Though I liked the final result… It's a keeper!" She stated, chuckling when her audio-receptors caught her mate's groan on the other room.

Suddenly, a thud called everyone's attention.

Fowler was on the floor… fainted. Apparently, the fact that the Cybertronians had access to a technology that allowed them to create solid avatars to hide in plain view was too much for the old ranger…

"Uh… Is he alright?" Wheeljack wondered, arching an eyebrow.

Smokescreen pocked the poor human in the stomach, while calling his name. Since there was no answer, the Elite Guard turned towards Optimus.

"Jack, please call your mother, and inform her that Agent Fowler requires medical attention." The large red and blue mech asked, shifting his gaze from the teenager to their human liaison and back.

After June's treatment, and some tranquilizers, the governmental agent was almost ready to explain the events to Bryce… If only he would've understood a word of Ratchet's and Knock Out's explanations about what a holoform was, then his meeting with his superiors would've been a lot easier…

* * *

 **At last! The holoforms! Now, all I have to do is write stories with them... Dammit...**

 **Ok, so, this time, I can't tell you who the next one will be, because I haven't finished some of the one-shots... If I dont' have time to write during this week, the next story will be Ironhide's.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **See ya!**


	13. Ironhide

**Hello again!**

 **I'm pleased to announce... that I finally ended ONE of the one-shots I had planned... Dammit... And, again, I don't know if I'll be able to upload next weekend. I'll try though...**

 **To the Guest from Fowler's story: Ratchet's holoform will appear at its due time, I promise ;) On the meantime, there will be fics that shows the bots enjoying their new freedom, and stories in which they won't use their avatars. This one is part of the latest...**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Havoc is set loose at base when Ironhide realizes that he forgot his anniversary._

 **Genre:** Humor

* * *

 **-IRONHIDE-**

 **Shame on Me…**

Ratchet was walking back to his med-bay, reading a datapad, analyzing his latest project, when he tripped over something and almost fell on his face, if it wasn't for a pair of hands that helped him to stand straight. Sighing in relief, the medic turned to see who was behind him, finding himself in company of his good old friend Ironhide, who apologized with him, saying that he tripped because of him. The older bot didn't mind it and entered the room… until he noticed that the red mech went back to hide in a corner of the lab.

The white and orange mech arched an eyebrow.

"Do I want to know?" He asked.

"Hush! I'm hiding from Chrom!" Ironhide confessed, trembling like a leaf in the wind.

The medic sighed… So that's what happened…

"What did you forget this time? Her sparked day, a promise, a date…?"

"Our anniversary… of bonding…" The warrior admitted.

Moment of silence.

"… You're an idiot, with capital I." Ratchet finally said, grunting and massaging his temples.

It was something near a miracle that Chromia married him, considering all the things that happened during their time as sparkmates; after all, Ironhide forgot half the times when they decided to meet to have a date, and the femme tended to scrap him during their trainings at the War Academy as payback. The medic could still remember a time in which the bulky red mech actually ended in the clinic, because he forgot their anniversary… and that was _before_ bonding. Now… Well, it wasn't hard to imagine why Ironhide was so scared and hiding like a sparkling, hoping for his bondmate not to find him. Chromia would _terminate_ him for this…

"Oh, gimme a break! We spent the last half million years in stasis, Ratch! I only realized that today is our anniversary, because I checked my chronometer!"

"Which is why you should've tried to do something special for her!" The medic retorted. "This is the first special date you have in mega-cycles, glitch-head! She might be expecting something!" He explained to his friend.

"You think I don't know that?!" The warrior complained, getting on his feet and arching an eyebrow. "Scrap, I know! But it's almost afternoon already, so unless I come up with something by sunset, I'm fragged due midnight!"

"Seriously, what did she see in you…?" Ratchet sighed, giving up. Honestly, he never understood how this union ever happened…

"Ratch, I need a favor… Can you entertain her until night?" Ironhide pleaded, actually on his knees and joining his hands. "Please, I'm begging here! My spark is on the line!"

Miraculously, the medic agreed, and soon called Elita and Optimus, explaining the situation ―needless to say that none of them was actually surprised of hearing this, but they agreed to help anyway. After all… It wouldn't be the first time they covered for the weapons specialist.

That settled, the red warrior went to the most unthinkable place for advice: Knock Out and Sunscorch. Since they were working in strengthening their relationship after two million years of standby, those two have been leaving the base every Friday night, going on dates. For so, if someone in the outpost knew a good place for a romantic evening, were those two… However, the idea of asking the Velocitronian for help made Ironhide's pride squirm in agonizing pain. _"You're doing it for Chromia, you're doing it for Chromia… and to save your aft… Keep that in mind, soldier…"_ He was repeating himself as a mantra, while dragging his feet towards where the happy couple was.

At the question, the Wrecker and the medic ―who were, until that instant, talking happily― exchanged a questioning look. They were both sitting on top of a couple boxes on the training room, since the femme was taking a break after destroying Bulkhead and Wheeljack in a lobbing match; which was now between the two Wreckers, Bumblebee and Smokescreen.

"Um… Why you ask?" Knock Out wondered, arching an eyebrow.

"That's my own business, doc." Ironhide retorted, narrowing his eyes. "Just… tell me if you know a good place for a date or not!" It was so embarrassing to ask this to this two…

"Wait a minute: this is about Chromia, isn't it?" Sunscorch asked with a sly smile.

"Oh… I see…" The medic mused, also with a sly smile on the face; but quickly covered his head with his arms when the bulkiest mech rose a fist, threatening him. "Sorry, sorry!" The Velocitronian said, chuckling, knowing that he wasn't in real danger. "But we _do_ know a couple places where you could go." He, then, admitted with a smirk.

… … …

An hour later, when Optimus was back at the base, and was on his way to the training room where Elita was entertaining Chromia, Ironhide literally tackled his old friend. All the poor Prime saw was a red blur, right before feel himself dragged inside the mechs' wash racks. _Then_ he saw the apologetic face in Ironhide, who was standing in front of him. After realizing what happened, the tall blue and red mech sighed tiredly and told the warrior to let go from him; apparently, the pink femme already sent him ten or twenty messages, pleading for help, saying that the cerulean bot was kliks away from destroy her. Honestly, the pink commander wasn't on her best shape that day, considering that she had a sparring session with the Prime earlier that morning ―she was decided to break the tie in which they were stuck…―, reason why she was having trouble handling her friend now… But Ironhide wasn't in the mood to listen to him.

"Um… Remember that time, like a thousand eons ago, when you helped me to prepare a picnic for Chrom and me? The day I completely forgot her sparked day?" The red warrior wondered, with an awkward smile, while scratching the back of his helm.

Not sure if he should, Optimus nodded, kind of suspecting where this conversation was going…

"Do you think… you can help me to prepare another one?" Ironhide finally asked, playing with his fingers.

"… You… want _me_ to prepare… a dinner?" The taller mech wondered, arching an eyebrow.

Ironhide's grin grew wider, seeing that his friend understood.

Optimus, on the other hand, sighed again, and face-palmed.

… … …

Eight in the evening. Everything was on place, and Ironhide was already waiting for his Conjux Endura at the coordinates where they would meet. Hopefully, with all this, she wouldn't notice that he completely forgot about their anniversary. Otherwise…

A soft green light called the warrior's attention, as a green vortex opened next to where he was standing, and a cerulean femme walked out of it.

Chromia gasped in awe when her eyes landed in the picnic that Ironhide prepared, filled with all kind of different treats, placed in the middle of a meadow that was close enough to a river to see the fireflies that were circling around the flowers that decorated the river's shore. Did her mech actually do all this for her? And, talking about the red warrior, as soon as the portal closed, Ironhide appeared right next to her.

"What…? 'Hide, what's going on?" She asked, not truly believing her optics.

"Happy anniversary." He said, placing a kiss on her lips.

After the gesture, the femme frowned with a quizzical look on her face.

"Um… 'Hide? Our anniversary is tomorrow…"

Checking his chronometer, the mech realized that he misread the date…

Knowing what the guys would do to him after realizing his mistake, suddenly, the warrior wished that he didn't have to go back to base…

* * *

 **To the Guest from last review: sorry if it wasn't as amazing as you anticipated. ^^U**

 **Our next character will be one of my OCs from** ** _Redemption_** **, Nightglider... just to break the row of couples for a little while XD.  
**

 **See ya!**


	14. Smokescreen

**Hello! How're you doing, guys?  
**

 **Thanks to the Guest for his/her comment! And, yeah... I realize that my femmes are kind of... intense... But, considering that both, Arcee and Airachnid (the only two femmes of the show), could be really aggresive sometimes, I thought it was allowed. However, Elita isn't really aggresive in my fics; sure, she got mad when she misunderstood Optimus, it made her angry, but that was it. Now, Chromia and Sunscorch: I've seen the cerulean bot in** ** _Windblade_** **'s comics, and she was...** ** _intense_** **. In my stories I depict her as a former cadet of the War Academy on Cybertron, and former classmate of Ironhide, so both of them had sparred together, and, somehow, started dating; and, since I kind of picture the weapons specialist as the kind of boyfriend who would regularly forget important dates, I decided to joke about it (a.k.a. whenever 'Hide messed up, Chrom would have revenge in the training room XD). On the other hand, Sunscorch (my OC) used to be a Wrecker; so the fact that she is kind of aggresive when pissed is not a suprise, I mean... Have you seen Wheeljack?**

 **By the way, can I ask you something? Is it you, Sympathy?**

 **Now, let's keep going with the one-shots, shall we. Oh! I... kind of changed my mind: today, I'm going to upload Somkescreen's one. I'll try to upload Nightglider's soon, though.**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Transformers_ franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

 **I do not own any of the movies mentioned or alluded in here. They belong to their respectful signs (I only know that _Pirates of the Caribbean_ saga belongs to Disney, but I have no clue about the other two... Sorry...).**

* * *

 **Summary:** _The kids are making a movies' marathon and invited the bots; unfortunately for himself, Smokescreen decides to participate._

 **Genre:** Humor

* * *

 **-SMOKESCREEN-**

 **Movie Night**

After a couple failed tries, the movies' marathon the kids were talking about was _on_ ; and Fowler agreed to allow the children to have it at his place, reason why Millie was going to choose first. Somehow, they even convinced the bots to tag along ―all but Ratchet, Optimus (Primes don't party…), and Elita, who stood back at the base― since they could now, thanks to their holoforms. The children prepared everything for a good evening: snacks, drinks, all kind of movies; now, all they had to do was start the marathon. The bots could participate if they want, and so Fowler, who was the one that implemented one rule: all movies must be under PG-16. Miko growled in dislike, because it limited her options, but rolled with it anyway…

Of course, first film was _The Little Prince_ , since Millie picked it up. The second was a sci-fi thriller chose by Raf, the third one was _Pirates of the Caribbean: The Black Pearl's Curse_ which was chosen by Jack, and the fourth one was a horror film chosen by Miko. At first, nobody understood why was it classified as 'horror' since nothing was happening; especially Smokescreen, who was starting to feel bored…

"The skeletons of the last one were scarier…" The Elite Guard commented, crossing his arms and arching an eyebrow, not really understanding the story of the movie. He was sat on the floor, Indian style, next to Bumblebee.

At that moment, Fowler returned from the kitchen with a brand new bowl of popcorn for the kids, and inspected what they were watching.

"Oh, I remember this movie!" The agent celebrated, taking seat on the couch next to the teenagers. "But… Wouldn't it give you nightmares later?" He wondered, eyeing the children.

"Nah… I have seen it a couple times now." Jack shrugged.

"Besides, it's not even scary…" Smokescreen whined from his spot.

"Oh, trust me, soldier. It will be…" Fowler stated, grabbing some popcorn for himself.

The blue Autobot gave him an unconvinced look, before go back to the TV screen. So far, it was the story of a widow who had two sick children, and who just hired three new servants to help her keep the old house. Nothing out of normal…

Ok, the housekeeper was a little off, but out of that, it seemed to be a boring sentimental movie to the young bot's eyes. It wasn't until the widow found the album of pictures that it became interesting.

"Wait… That's not a real thing, is it?" Smokescreen asked to the humans.

"Actually, yes. People used to take pictures to their beloved ones before bury them." Rafael told the Cybertronian.

"Huh? That's a little creepy if you ask me…" Wheeljack commented, finding hard to believe that humans actually had that odd custom before.

"It was when the photography science was barely starting. Nobody does it anymore." The younger boy explained, receiving a nod from the white Wrecker, who promptly returned his attention to the screen.

And the movie kept going, and going, and Smokescreen, little by little, started to become tenser. The servants were off, but not scary; the album… Ok, the album was a little creepy, but, still not _scary_ per se. But the moment the girl of the movie started to talk about strangers living within the empty house… If he were in his real form, his doorwings would've been standing way up. Yet, that was nothing compared to what happened later… when the reflection of the little girl showed an old woman. At that point, Bumblebee could _swear_ that the Elite Guard yelped.

"You alright, Smokey?" The lieutenant whispered, not wanting to call the others' attention.

"W-wha-?" The other youngling looked at his friend with wide eyes, before scuff. "O-of course I am! Please… It's just a movie. The terrorcons were way scarier…" He said, trying to look strong.

And it seemed to work, since Bumblebee simply shrugged and went back to the show with a smirk on his mouth. Yup. Everyone was enjoying the movie ―Knock Out even laughed at some parts―, except him… No matter how much he denied it, the truth was that the fact that there were only glimpses of whatever was haunting the house, and not a full out scene of it, was starting to get to him. _"It's just a movie… It's not real… Only entertainment…"_ The young blue Autobot repeated to himself over and over, trying hard to believe it… Right until the scene in which the siblings finds the servants tombs, while the mother finds their pictures on the album, and the servants starts chasing the two kids.

Smokescreen pretty much cried and flinched at that part… And everyone's eyes were suddenly on him.

"Did you just…?" Arcee wondered, amused.

"N-no." The mech denied, sitting straight once again.

"Relax, kid. It's just a movie." Bulkhead told him with a smirk and a shrug, before go back to the screen.

"Besides, it was kind of obvious that the servants were ghosts…" Knock Out commented, rolling his eyes.

"It was?" Sunscorch asked, looking at her mate.

"What can I say? I'm a cinema enthusiast…" The surgeon chuckled.

However, it wasn't until the climax that all the Autobots shared their doze of horror, when the movie revealed that the widow and the kids were the real ghosts, and that the other family were the ones alive, trying to communicate with them. Everyone's heart or spark-beat raced up at that part, right before the credits.

"Whoa… What a plot twist!" Miko cheered.

"Indeed. I think it's the first time I see a horror movie and can't tell the end of it…" Knock Out admitted, looking at the Japanese girl.

"I must say, some humans knows how to write a good story." Ironhide conceded, from the other couch, his right arm wrapped around his mate, who was smirking, pleased for the show.

Despite everyone else seemed to be really happy with the film, Smokescreen was simply happy to know that it was finally _over_ , and was decided to never, under any circumstance, watch a human horror movie _again_.

"Smokescreen? Are you ok?" Millie asked, noticing his tensed up shoulders.

"Y-yeah! N-never been better!" The young mech hurried to say.

"You sure?" Jack asked, noticing that he was hyperventilating.

"Yes!" He retorted, before noticing that he was giving really short answers, and that he was way too tensed to fool anybody. "I mean… It was a great movie, after all. Now I understand why it's a horror movie. Heh, heh…"

Right at that moment, there was a power failure, reason why the whole house became pitch black… and a somewhat high pitched scream was heard…

"Smokey… Did you just…?" Bumblebee chuckled.

"… I don't want to talk about it…" The Elite Guard retorted, grumpily.

* * *

 **The movie they're watching is _The Others_. A really awesome movie (and I don't even like horror films...).**

 **So, you know, next one will be Nightglider, who was silent in this fic.**

 **See ya!**


	15. Nightglider (OC)

**Hello again! How're you doing?**

 **To the Guest #1: Sorry for asking if you were him, it's just that some of your questions sounded like the ones that Sympathy used to ask so I became suspicious XD I'm glad you liked Smokey's story!**

 **To the Guest #2: Welcome onboard! Ha ha! Yeah, it seems that Optimus can't stand not to have work to do. But, that's the way we like him XD I'm glad you liked so much those three fics!**

 **Now, as you know, Nightglider is one of the OCs that I created for** ** _Redemption_** **. He's a flyer who has a spark-twin brother, Daybreak, who betrayed him during the war. This one-shot will be focused on the past of these brothers, and how things were before Daybreak double crossed his partners.**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _When eavesdropping the children by accident, Nightglider remembers how his brother and he were before Daybreak's betrayal…_

 **Genre:** Hurt/Comfort

* * *

 **-NIGHTGLIDER-**

 **Gliding Memories…**

The back jet, as usual, woke up, refueled, stretched, went outside, and made some exercises. Nothing out of place, nothing special. However, when he landed and returned to base, he found the children having a little argument at the platform located in the control room; the younger of the two boys seemed to be in bad terms with one of his siblings. Apparently something happened… Although the Cybertronian wasn't sure of what exactly, since he didn't know what a college was…

"Relax, Raf. I'm sure it's not what you're thinking." Jack said, offering a sympathetic smile to the other boy.

"You say that because you don't know my brother!" The teenager of messy hair retorted, angrily. "He was always trying to make things difficult to me! As if I _asked_ to be a genius, or to be recommended to MIT!" He stressed, before grunt and take off his glasses so he could massage the bridge of his nose. "Everyone in my family is actually happy that I got accepted, _except_ , of course, _him_ …"

At that point of the argument, the flyer decided to leave. It wasn't right from him to suddenly step into someone else's personal life. He wouldn't like a stranger to simply show up and nose into his businesses, just because. Although, he could kind of relate with the young teenager; after all, he knew what if felt like to have a sibling who didn't like you. _"Though, at first, I believed we were playing for the same team…"_ He thought with a long sigh.

It was yet so hard for him to think about Daybreak… After all, they were spark-twins; they shared almost everything, even their pain! Sure, the cerulean twin was always the feistier of the two, the one who usually spoke up for both of them when with strangers; meanwhile, Nightglider was the polite twin, the one who was usually trying to talk things out.

As he walked into his personal wash rack, the warrior remembered a particular moment of his life.

… … …

Both twins were standing right outside of a shop.

"I go in, if you go in." The black bot said.

"Same." Daybreak retorted.

They just returned from an Autobot base, in which they enlisted. Thanks to their young age, none of the warriors took the twins really seriously; but they allowed the pair to prove their worth anyway. Almost miraculously, they passed the test, and were allowed to join the Autobots ―later they would know that the faction was desperate for flyers, since the Decepticons had hundreds of Seekers fighting for them. After this, they were sent to their new team, where they met another set of twins, grounders, and became friends with them almost immediately… thing that soon ended with a bet that the flyers lost. Now, they were supposed to get one wing tattooed… thing that was _painful_.

"You _had_ to make that bet with Sideswipe, didn't you?" Nightglider grunted, clenching his fists.

"Oh, shut up! You participated too, remember?" The cerulean twin reminded his brother, frowning and placing his hands at the sides of his hip. "I didn't _force_ _you_ to tag along…"

"Are you going in or what?!" A red mech laughed, some feet behind the arguing twins.

"Yeah. A bet is a bet!" Another mech, a yellow golden one, added while crossing his arms.

Those two were the other twins: Sideswipe (the red one) and Sunstreaker (the yellow one, with an attitude).

The flyers sighed.

"Remind me to kill you later, DB." The black bot said, before walk into the establishment.

"Hey! I told you not to call me that!" Daybreak complained, as he followed his brother inside.

A couple hours ―and cries of pain― after, both mechs came out with their brand new tattoos. It wasn't anything impressive, or ridiculous, but a bunch of phrases, written in the shape of concentric circles in red ink: "To serve and protect. Brothers in arms. Brothers in blood." And, even when it hurt more, the twins finally decided to tattoo both the wing's faces.

Next day, they decided to get the Autobot sigil on their other wing… and got some weird looks from their superior officer, Jetfire, who couldn't help but notice the red circles on his men's appendages.

… … …

The warm oil that was pouring into his frame wasn't enough to calm him down. Not with these memories resurfacing into his processor, like ghosts from a distant past…

… … …

The war was starting to change them, especially Daybreak, who stopped behaving like himself. Little by little, the cerulean twin started to become more and more serious, until he stopped joking around and lifting their spirits as he used to; in fact, the whole bond they shared felt weird. Nightglider wondered about it plenty times, but whenever he asked his brother the answer was a simple "Yes, I'm fine", and a shrug.

It was then when Jetfire called them apart, and informed the twins about their reassignment.

Both brothers exchanged a quizzical look.

"Reassigned? To which unit, sir?" Daybreak queried.

"The Wreckers." The older jet answered calmly, and the twins' optics sparked with interest. They've heard about that unit, but never met any of their members. "My friend Ultra Magnus got assigned as their new commander, and it seems that he's having trouble with one of his elements; so, he called me." Jetfire crossed his arms. "Look, I'm not going to pretend that I know what he really wants to do; all I know is that I'm more useful where I'm right now, so, you'll go instead." That said, he handled a datapad to the younger flyers. "You'll find the Wreckers at those coordinates. Good luck."

… … …

Sighing, Nightglider turned off the oil, and reached for a towel to dry, kind of smiling. If it wouldn't have been for that assignment, he wouldn't have met Sunscorch, nor Knock Out.

Though it wasn't the nicest meeting in history… in none of both cases…

… … …

Ultra Magnus was the prototypical Elite Guard soldier: firm, strict, disciplined, and lives by the book. Say that he wasn't pleased by being put up with a pair of rookies was an understatement. He was _beyond_ disappointment, and it was evident in the way he arched an optic ridge as the twins informed that they were there by Jetfire's orders. The blue mech asked for a trained soldier, not two cadets who barely knew how to behave properly in front of a high officer ―those were almost his exact words, when Nightglider and his brother showed up and forgot to address him 'commander'.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but I don't think you two are suitable for what I have in mind." Ultra Magnus said, while shaking his head, and walking away from them.

"Sir." Daybreak called, taking a step towards the taller mech. "Since we're already here, could you, at least, give us _one chance_ to prove ourselves. Please."

The commander was about to retort, but was interrupted when his commlink pinged. Whatever was told to him was enough to make the older bot sigh and look at the flyers. Finally, he told them that, if they truly wanted to join the Wreckers, then, they should keep up with him; because they were about to meet their new partner. And, without any further explanation, Ultra Magnus transformed and drove away.

Stunned, and kind of happy for the opportunity, the twins bumped fists before transform and follow their new superior officer… right into a battlefield that was flooded with 'Cons, which were surrounding a pair of mechs that had the Autobots' insignia carved in some part of their body. They were hiding on a trench, and one of them seemed hurt, but they were still fighting.

The commander pushed away some 'Cons, while opening a path towards his men.

"Perceptor, report!" He ordered to a red mech, while entering the hole.

"In resume: we were fine, approaching the target; then scraplet-brain, there, stepped on a trap, alerting these creeps." The Wrecker explained, while shooting some bots of red optics, keeping them away from the crew. "Seaspray is hurt, I'm tired, Rotorstorm is…" He looked around. "Well. He must be around here, somewhere…"

Suddenly, Ultra Magnus pushed him down, saving the red mech from a shot to the head; the twins did the same and helped with the counterattack without waiting for orders.

"Not to point the obvious, nor get in bad terms with you, sir… But we could _kind of use_ Wheeljack right now…" Perceptor kept saying.

"The defector? Not a need." The blue mech refused, while taking out his blasters and answering the heavy fire they were receiving. "Where's Sunscorch? You didn't mentioned her position." He asked, when he went back to take cover.

The red mech opened his mouth to say something… but quickly shut it and turned to look at Seaspray, asking if he had any ideas of where that femme went. The light blue Wrecker simply said: "Follow the destruction. She's pissed today."

Growling, Ultra Magnus called their missing teammate, ordering it to fall back to the rest of the crew; that said, he called for back-up.

"Orders, sir?" Nightglider asked, while taking cover, next to his brother.

"Defend our position until the help arrives." The blue mech answered.

"Backup?! Wreckers don't call for backup!" Seaspray complained in the back of the group. "We call for _clean up_! And you know this, Shoulder Pads!"

"Commander Ultra Magnus to you, soldier. And, as I said the moment I took over this unit: the recklessness and lack of respect for basic protocol won't be tolerated!" The blue mech retorted, turning to look at his wounded man.

At first, the twins thought that it was a normal superior-subordinate fight… Until Seaspray forcefully got onto his feet and started to run towards the enemies, yelling the old Wreckers motto; all in front of Perceptor's and Ultra Magnus's startled expressions.

Immediately after this, the light blue mech threw himself onto the first line of Decepticons, taking them down… Until he found himself cornered by the rest of the enemy's formation, and Perceptor had to leave the safety of his hidings to save his friend's aft, leaving the commander and the twins alone.

Massaging his forehead, Ultra Magnus looked at the twins with tired optics.

"And some still questions why Optimus assigned me to this crew…" He growled, while getting out of the trench and resuming the attack.

"… So…?" Nightglider said, turning to look at his twin, who blinked blankly.

"So…?" Daybreak repeated.

They weren't given any orders; not to mention that fly in this scenery was suicidal, and they weren't exactly outstanding close range warriors. On the other hand, they couldn't leave their new unit without help; so, taking a deep vent to encourage themselves, both brothers jumped out of the trench and transformed. With those two offering aerial cover, the Wreckers were able to make the 'Cons retrieve.

Seeing that it was safe to land, the two flyers transformed again into their bipedal form, right next to their new commander. Ultra Magnus turned to look at them with an arched optic ridge.

"Maybe Jetfire knew what he was doing after all." He commented, receiving a proudly smile from the twins, who bumped fists, pleased by the praise. "Perceptor, Seaspray, status." The former Elite Guard requested, looking at the other two.

"Some scratches and dents, but we'll live." The red mech with the monocle assured, giving the commander a thumbs up.

"Good." Then, Ultra Magnus activated his commlink. "Rotorstorm, status report." Nothing. "Rotorstorm, come in." After waiting a few kliks, he decided to call the other disappeared teammate. "Sunscorch, do you…?"

« _Bad timing to call!_ » The femme's voice came through, next to the noise of a shooting. « _I have my hands full with 'Cons, and…! Wait a klik._ » The sound of an explosion echoed through the communication channel, while the smoke's mushroom was clearly visible from where Ultra Magnus was standing. « _Take that, you, creeps!_ » The femme cheered, before go back to the call. « _Can someone evacuate Rotor-Idiot? I've been dragging his aft through the battlefield the whole fraggin' day!_ »

The twins saw the commander sigh, and debate whether should he shoot something or remain calm, while muttering "This femme will get us all killed…", before gesture the siblings to follow him. He said that it was time for them to meet their new partner…

As he drove off, the jets exchanged a kind of scared look, and they knew they were thinking the same: the rush to meet this person was completely gone. Suddenly, they were missing their old crew. Even Silverbolt's fear of highs! When they took off to follow the blue bot, Daybreak swore to his brother, that, if they ever made it back to their old team, then he would never again make fun of the old Aerialbot's overprotectiveness.

When they arrived to the explosion site, the only thing they saw were a pair of Autobots, a femme and a mech, the later unconscious. She, on the other hand, was covered in all kind of wastes, dents and scratches, while sitting on top of some scrapped Decepticons. The only prisoner that was still conscious was being hold by a thick metallic cord that was attached to the femme's hip.

She jumped to her feet when the blue truck and the two jets showed up.

"At last!" She whined, frowning and detracting her mask. The twins saw the scar that went through her face. "You two, take him to a field clinic." She ordered, believing that the twins were from a rescue team that was answering to the distress beacon of the other Wrecker. "I got us an informant, Mags." The femme, then, added, looking at the commander and pulling from her prisoner, who fell onto his back.

"First of all, _soldier_." The blue mech made sure to stress the term, making his dominance over her clear. "You will refer to me as 'commander' or 'sir', never by my designation. Your ridiculous nicknames are, for so, out of question." Ultra Magnus scolded her, crossing his arms in front of his chest. From all the Wreckers he had in his charge, this one was particularly difficult… "Now, concerning to the flyers that came with me, they are not from a rescue team." He clarified, gesturing the twins to walk closer. "I believe I mentioned that you required a partner to work with…"

"And I told you: I work better _alone_." She hurried to say, also crossing her arms.

"The rest of the unit has troubles fighting back, even when they're all together; so don't expect me to believe that you're working at your best without help." The commander counterattacked.

At the mention of her battling skills, the femme simply gestured to their surroundings, while arching an eyebrow.

The twins did look around and took mental note of what they saw: an all-out fight field; and the only one that came out of it on her own feet seemed to be this Wrecker. They had to admit that, if she alone did all that, then they really didn't see why the urgent need of giving her some back-up. She was fine on her own…

Of course that, back then, they ignored that Sunscorch had zero patience with the commander, and that, more often than not, she made sure of being a pain in the aft to Ultra Magnus. Since she was the only femme in the Wreckers, her superiors tended to overprotect her, thing that she completely _hated_. The result? Sunscorch liked to break the rules, and step outside of the boundaries that were given to her… Thanks to which the little war she was holding with Ultra Magnus was ten times worse than the actual one.

"Either if you like it or not, I'm your superior officer; meaning that what I say, you do it. Are we clear, soldier?" The commander told his subordinate, who simply scoffed and looked away, frowning. It was a face that he learnt to read as a 'Yes, but I still don't agree with you'; reason why he nodded. "Good. Then, I will leave you with your new partners: Nightglider and Daybreak. I'll take the prisoner for interrogation; you three, take our comrade to a medic." That said, the blue mech grabbed the 'Con and got out of the scene.

An awkward silence fell upon the three figures, until Daybreak decided to try to introduce himself to the femme. She simply scoffed again, turned around, grabbed the unconscious Wrecker, loaded his body upon her shoulders, and started to walk off. After a few steps she realized that the twins weren't following her.

"Are you comin' or not?!" She wondered, before turn again and resume her stroll.

The brothers let out a sigh and, transforming, flew after her, covering their new partner…

This was going to be a very long reassign.

… … …

Absently smiling, Nightglider had to admit that Sunscorch wasn't the easiest partner to befriend. In fact, it took them over a deca-cycle to have her calling them by their actual designations, and no some stupid name ―Nighty-Night and Daily-Break were her favorites, just because they hated them from the bottom of their sparks. Eventually, they managed to earn her respect and trust…

And that's when everything went wrong again…

… … …

They were in a normal scouting mission at the front, without much to report but a cloudy day, and some scraplets that were moving around some nearby ruins. Sunscorch was rolling on her vehicle mode, paying attention to her scanners, while the twins kept an eye on her from the sky.

The trio was chit-chatting while looking for Decepticon activity.

« _Oh, c'mon, bro! I totally ship you with that nurse!_ » Daybreak chuckled. « _What was her designation, again?_ »

"… Lightbeam…" The black jet admitted, kind of embarrassed.

Though it was true that he might've stared at that creamy colored femme longer than necessary, he wasn't hitting on her. Or, at least, he didn't think so… But his twin did, reason why the cerulean bot has been bugging him about it for over a week already; and he didn't seem to have intentions of drop the matter.

« _I think you would look really cute together!_ » Daybreak insisted, earning a long growl from his brother, whose inner systems were raising temperature at every mock and comment. Acknowledging his twin's embarrassment, the cerulean flyer went to ask to the Wrecker who was driving underneath them. « _What you think, Scorch? Wouldn't my bro and that nurse be a nice couple?_ »

« _By Primus's sake, Break; let your brother be…_ »

"Thanks, partner." Nightglider said… before notice that she wasn't over…

« _Besides, I was shipping him with that femme from the other day… Uh… What was her name again? Green-something…_ » The crimson bot added, playfully.

« _Greenlight._ » Daybreak clarified.

« _Yeah, that one! She seemed interested to me…_ » The black jet could swear that the femme was slyly smiling at this point.

Nightglider sighed.

"Can we stay focused on the mission at hand, and out of my love life, please?" He begged.

Daybreak suddenly chortled at his request.

« _I think someone's overheating…_ » The cerulean twin chimed.

"Frag you, bro!" He said, right before an explosion was heard, calling both flyers' attention. "Scorch?!"

And that was when the fun and games ended: their partner stepped into a mine they didn't detect, and was now transformed into her bipedal form, holding onto her midsection where a shrapnel ended. Needless to say that she was leaking lots of Energon and needed immediate medical attention; however, there was a problem: the moment the bomb went off, a bunch of nearby Decepticons were alerted, and started to gather around them. The twins needed to clear the field to be able to drag their partner to a clinic.

Fortunately, Sunscorch was a hard bone to bite, and, in a split second, she was on her feet, wrestling the leader of the enemy team; meanwhile, the jets were taking care of the rest of their attackers. Unfortunately, before they were done, a painful scream made them look towards the place where the crimson femme was, only to notice that the 'Con she was fighting used her wound to his advantage. The Wrecker's systems shut down due to the pain, leaving her defenseless to her enemies.

Hurrying, Nightglider and Daybreak landed and transformed in front of their partner's attacker, and took him out before he finished her off. Then, seeing that they were momentary safe, they hurried to grab the femme, and started to drag her towards the closest clinic.

Fortunately for them, there was one not too many miles ahead. So, panting, hoping that the Wrecker's wound looked worse than it truly was, they kicked the door open and started to desperately call for a medic; but it seemed that they were all busy at the moment…

"I'm a medic!" A medium-sized red mech of navy blue optics called them, raising a hand to call their attention. "Come this way!" Saying this, he led them into an empty consulting room.

While the twins placed their partner onto the stretcher, the medic told something to a nurse, before ask them to wait outside, while he attended the femme. They nodded and did as told. Sunscorch being attached to some tubes was the last thing they saw, until a few joors after, when a bomb woke her up. If it wouldn't have been for her yelling, they would've never seen the weirdest scene ever: the medium-sized medic ―who seemed short in comparison to the femme― was putting all his weight into try to restrain his patient, who was doing a lot of ruckus, trying to escape the clinic. In the end, he had to put her into stasis.

"Scrap, this femme has some right hook!" The medic cursed, while massaging his jaw, where he got hit by Sunscorch.

"Um… You ok, doc?" Daybreak asked, kind of worried for the medic.

"Yeah, Scorch never measures her strength…" Nightglider conceded.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." He assured them. "But, since you're here, you should get yourselves checked by a medic too."

… … …

 _"That's how everything started…"_ The black bot thought, with a pang of nostalgia bothering him within his spark, while he walked up to the training room, hoping to find something to do. He wanted to entertain his mind with something, before the memories of that afternoon in front of Kaon's walls… But it was already too late. His wings shivered at the ghastly feeling of the plasma shot hitting his thruster, and his knees' joints almost gave in; not to mention that his shoulder still ached from time to time. And to think that his brother did all that… for a Decepticon girl…

Well. He got what he deserved: he was now rusting in jail, while his "girlfriend" was running from the Autobots, and she was stranded in this organic planet.

No. That didn't make him feel better. Daybreak was his brother after all, they were family… And, even then, he broke the bond and betrayed him… He still couldn't believe it.

Suddenly he heard someone laughing and decided to go and check it out.

What he found was Sunscorch bended over, holding onto her knees, in laughter; Millie in a similar position on a nearby catwalk, and Knock Out cursing in disgust, as a water pipe broke on top of him… and the water _wasn't clean_ …

Before noticing, Nightglider found himself laughing too.

"Oh, great… Now you too…" The medic grunted.

"T-that's the-! The hangar's bathroom's-!" The black bot managed to say between his laughs.

Knock Out rolled his optics.

"I'm aware of that, thank you. Now, you all will either stop making fun of me, or I'll start giving some hugs!" The Velocitronian threatened, and everyone fell into deep silence.

"You wouldn't dare." Sunscorch said, not really liking the idea of being hugged by her sparkmate covered in human waste.

"Want to bet?" He said, smirking, placing a hand on the side of his hip.

Nightglider and Sunscorch blinked a couple times before share a look, and gulp in fear.

"Run for your life!" They both yelled, before start their race towards the training room where the others were.

"You wouldn't have." Millie pointed out, cocking her head and smiling widely.

The red mech chuckled and turned to look at her.

"Well, not really…" He admitted with a shrug, before spare a brief glance to the hallway his friends took. "But you have to admit that it was funny to see them run." He, then, added with a playful wink.

Later, after the medic disinfected himself with a couple long baths, the three bots and the human girl shared a long and lighthearted chat that made Nightglider forget about Daybreak's absence completely. Yeah, his twin may not be his best friend anymore; but he had many other friends to laugh with.

* * *

 **So, that's all for now! And, before you wonder, Lightbeam is another imaginary Transformer I just came up with...  
**

 **Sorry this wasn't as lighthearted as the previous ones, but I really felt like writting some background for my dear Nightglider. Hope you liked it!**

 **Our next character will be another of our favorite humans; this time, it will be Jack!**

 **See ya!**


	16. Jack

**I'm back! XD**

 **Sorry, late update again.**

 **Guest 1: I'm glad you liked Nightglider's story! I was kind of nervous about writing a one-shot solely for one of my OCs... Especially because he isn't the only one... Millie, Sunscorch and (probably) Solar Flare are yet to come...  
**

 **On other news, despite I said that I was going to write a one-shot for Pharma, I decided to drop it; also Chrosshairs' story is in standby, mostly because they weren't in my plans to begin with. Plus, I don't really like Pharma's character; and, though I do like Chrosshairs, I'm not sure of use him again in another story. It's half written though, so... Let me know if you want me to finish the green bot's story.**

 **I did write Predaking's story, and I'm finishing Grimlock's one; so they will show up at some point too, next to their teams _._**

 **At this point, I'm wondering why did I use so many characters in _Redemption_...  
**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Transformers_ franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Jack has had a bad morning… a bad day, actually. But, as it seems about to become even worse, the teenager will find backup in one giant friend of his._

 **Genre:** Humor & Family

* * *

 **-JACK-**

 **Life's Curves**

There was a new guy in one of his classes, someone called Andrew; he wasn't a bad guy, in fact he was really nice, reason why they chitchatted a bit that morning. Where was the problem? The conversation drifted towards a rather sensitive matter for Jack. Of course that the black haired boy told his new friend that he really didn't wanted to talk about it, and Andrew, understanding, dropped the subject immediately; however, his bad mood chased him for hours. By the end of the day, when it was time for him to go back home, as usual, he found Arcee already waiting for him at the parking lot; the only difference was that, now, her holoform was standing _next_ to her real body… and had a face.

He waved at her, and the femme's avatar soon smiled and greeted her partner, asking if he was ready to go. Nodding, the teenager was about to put on his helmet, when a voice called from behind.

Andrew.

The brunette boy ran up to him, he just wanted to make sure that they were still in good terms, saying that he would've never asked if he would've known.

"It's… ok." Jack finally accepted, sighing. "Besides, it was a normal thing to say when meeting someone, so, no real harm done." He added with a shrug.

"Good." Andrew smiled. Then, he offered his hand to Jack. "See you tomorrow?"

The black haired boy shook hands with him.

"You bet." That said, he got his helmet on, and climbed onto his motorcycle, while Arcee's holoform did the same.

One last goodbye, and both partners left the building, allowing the femme to wonder out loud who it was. Jack simply said that Andrew was new in the neighbor, and that they had a little argument that morning over a stupidity. She seemed satisfied with the explanation, since she didn't kept asking about the new guy; instead, the two-wheeler started a little chat about her morning ―apparently he would've to stay away from Ratchet for a couple hours, since the three Wreckers had the very bad idea of playing a lobbing match with the medic nearby. The boy could somewhat imagine the picture of Wheeljack making a bad throw, and hitting the medic flat in the face. And, according to Arcee, the fact that Sunscorch had to fight back a laugh didn't help the old bot's mood; soon enough, all base saw the three warriors running out of the base, while Ratchet threatened with make toasters out of them.

"Knock Out wasn't too happy with him for threatening his soon-to-be bondmate, of course…" She chuckled, remembering the Velocitronian's face as he peeked out of the sick bay, yelling back at the older mech.

"Oh! I can totally picture the whole thing!" Jack chortled.

"So, you've been warned: stay out of the med-bay for today, and bother Ratchet as less as possible." Arcee told her partner, right before her commlink pinged. "Arcee here."

« _The scanners has detected an Energon signature near your position. I'm sending you the coordinates right now._ » The old medic's voice came through, a slight shadow of anger still hanging from his words. « _Investigate with caution._ » But, before hung up, he remembered something: « _Oh! And, Arcee, if you happen to see even just_ one _of the Wreckers, tell them that they're required at the sick bay_ immediately _… Over._ » _Then_ , he hung up.

"Wow… He sounded more pissed than usual." Jack commented.

"He was hit in the face by a giant metallic ball thrown over a hundred miles per hour. I would be pissed too." The two-wheeler conceded, slowing down, reason why the human did the same. "Sorry, Jack, but it seems that you'll go back alone for today."

"No problem. I know the way." He said, shrugging a little, his smirk covered by the helmet. "Take care, ok?" He added, before both of them followed different ways.

As usual, the road that lead towards the base was completely empty. No other cars to account, not even a track that didn't belong to one of the bots. The silence left him to his own thoughts that were starting to drift towards today events. _"Ugh… I can't believe that it_ still _gets to me… It was over twelve years ago!"_ He was thinking, remembering how his mood change the moment that Andrew said that his was a big and happy family, although he had two older siblings that didn't live with them anymore… And then, the brunette decided to ask Jack about his family… starting with his dad…

Maybe he was a little rude when he told his new acquaintance that he didn't want to talk about it, and even rudder when he explained why. Sighing, he admitted that he would have to make up for the new guy somehow; he acted like a jerk.

He was midway to the base when he realized that his bike was doing some weird noises, and decided to check the fuel level… and remembered that, yesterday, he forgot to refuel it. Oops. _"No, no… Don't give up on me now…"_ He mentally pleaded, not really wanting to call for a ground-bridge when being so close to the base. But his ride had other plans, and gave up the fight… right in the middle of the road. Stabilizing himself on his legs, Jack groaned, dropping his head and shoulders at the realization: either he called to base, or walked there.

Hopping off, he dragged his motorcycle to the side of the road and pulled out his cellphone. Fortunately for him, it wasn't Ratchet who picked up, but Smokescreen. The Elite Guard said that there was an Autobot signal coming up his way, so he could ask for a ride in no time; however, he asked if he was sure that he didn't want to bridge to base, that it was no problem for them. But, again, Jack knew that the activation of the portal burns lots of Energon, and that it would be a waste for such small distance. That said, both of them hung up, and the teenager accommodated to wait.

Five minutes later, a car engine roared near him and Jack prepared to greet his friend… Only to find an unknown car growing closer, reason why he went back to waiting mode. But the vehicle stopped in front of him.

"Need a lift, Darby?" That voice…

Oh, why him?

"Vince?" He looked up to the red haired guy. What was he doing back in Jasper? Didn't he move out or something?

"Nice bike. Is it your girlfriend's?" The bully smirked.

"Nice car. Is your grandmother's?" Jack retorted, crossing his arms.

Thanks to this, the guy jumped out of his vehicle gritting his teeth, and quickly grabbed the black haired boy by the jacket's collar, ready to punch. Fortunately, ever since the bots got their holoforms, they agreed in showing their human companions some basic self-defense techniques ― _"However…"_ Ironhide promptly added, the moment Optimus's gaze darted towards him when the weapons specialist decided to train the kids, _"… if I happen to see any unjustified broken nose when wandering around, you four will be in big trouble; understood?"_ Warning or not, the face-palm that the Prime pulled off in the background was pretty visible. Time to see if those 'not-really-approved' classes paid off…

As soon as Vince threw the punch, Jack found himself capable of blocking it; and not only that: he actually shoved off the bully. The red haired boy couldn't believe his eyes. Since when Darby knew how to fight?

"Whoa… 'Hide, I owe you one." The black haired boy thought, massaging the forearm he used to block the blow.

Unfortunately, his little distraction gave Vince enough time to get on his feet and grab him by the jacket, pulling him off his motorcycle, which fell flat on the ground making a metallic noise. Now, Jack was pinned against the ground, and trying to break free…

Right before a loud crash was heard.

When the two boys turned around, they saw a red truck… which's grill was slammed against Vince's car's trunk. Wait. Rephrase that: the truck's grill was slammed against Vince's _disappeared_ car's trunk. Jack had to restrain himself from grinning at the realization of what happened. Immediately, a tall Caucasian man dressed in a red trench coat, black t-shirt, and blue pants came out of the red vehicle, checking the damage; seconds later, the bully was right next to him, both hands on his head.

"What the-?! Are you blind or what?!" Vince shouted at the truck's 'driver', who didn't seem too worried about the accident. "I just paid this car!"

"Then, may I ask, why did you parked in the middle of the open road?" The adult retorted, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms in annoyance.

"And, right out of a curve…" Jack added, getting on his feet, a sly grin already on his lips.

The red haired boy wasn't an idiot, and he knew what these two were implying: _he_ was the one in infraction there, so it was _his fault_ , because the truck had no way to know that there was a car illegally parked right around the corner, all thanks to the rock columns blocking the view. Then, in a sly move, Vince turned around, trying to find a way to blame Darby for it… But was quickly interrupted by the truck's driver, who, without his notice, was now helping Jack to get his bike to the back of the large vehicle.

"Wha…? Wait: you _know_ this guy?" The bully asked, pointing at the tall man.

"It's…" Jack looked at the holoform for a split second. "A friend of the family. My bike ran out of fuel, so I asked him if he could give me a ride."

"Let's get going, Jack. It's getting late." The adult told the teenager, once the motorcycle was safely tied to the cargo section of the truck.

Nodding, the black haired boy got into the red vehicle, followed closely by the 'driver', who, ignoring the other teenager in the place, simply reversed and drove by, avoiding the other car. Once at a safe distance, Optimus deactivated his holoform.

"Thanks for the ride, by the way." The teenager finally managed to say, massaging the back of his neck, a little embarrassed for the recent events.

"You're welcome." The Autobot answered, and the boy could imagine him smiling. "Although, I wonder: wasn't that the boy that Knock Out once abducted?"

Wow… Jack sure wished to have a memory such as Optimus'; after all, the mech only saw his archrival _once_ , and it happened a while ago.

"Um… Yes. That was Vince; he… _We_ were classmates back at school, since kindergarten." He shrugged. "He never liked me, I never liked him, the mutual dislike escalated… Long story short: he started to bully me, mocking me for pretty much everything. I celebrated the day we finished high school and followed different ways." He explained, before huff. "Honestly, I thought he moved out of Jasper…"

Optimus remained silent for a couple seconds after the boy was done talking.

And, suddenly…

"I'm glad to see you remembered Ironhide's lessons then."

Jack's eyes widened in surprise at the comment. The only way Optimus could know about it was… Did he…?

"You saw that?" The teenager wondered, staring at the red screen in the dashboard.

"I took the curve, right when that boy got out of his car." The Cybertronian admitted. How comes the two humans didn't hear him approaching was a mystery that he would never be able to understand, considering the noise his engines usually do… However, what really surprised him was seeing Jack standing his ground like a warrior trainee of the War Academy. "You stood up like a real warrior; Ironhide would be proud." He admitted.

Jack smiled, slightly blushing for the compliment… until he thought of something.

"Wait… If you turned the corner right on time to see that, you must've seen Vince's car too; then… How comes you crashed?"

Deep, long, awkward, silence.

"Important thing is that you're alright. I'm sure that your former classmate will find someone to repair that dent…" The Prime said, evidently refusing to give Jack a straight answer.

The teenager simply smiled and looked out the window, trying not to laugh. Who would've imagined that Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots… would purposely crash against a car to save a human friend from a bully?

* * *

 **Did I mention that I imagine Optimus like some sort of overprotective dad whenever he interacts with the children? All thanks to a couple things: the way he treats Raf, plus how he reacted when Megatron wounded him; and the way he told Jack a white lie when giving the boy the key to Vector Sigma.**

 **Oh, well. The next character will probably be Chromia ( _When scouting an Energon signal, Chromia and Elita finds themselves… stuck…_ ).**

 **Hope to see you soon!**


	17. Chromia

**Hello! After a long time, this collection of one-shots is back!**

 **Time to see how Chromia and Elita, best friends since forever, endures being stuck with each other for a couple hours.**

 **Warnings: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some gammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Transformers_ franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _When scouting an Energon signal, Chromia and Elita finds themselves… stuck…_

 **Genre:** Humor & Friendship

* * *

 **-CHROMIA-**

 **Girls' Night Out… Or In?**

"You just _had_ to touch it, don't you…?" Elita, covered in dust and evidently tired, asked.

"Bright side: we're still functioning, aren't we?" Chromia, as dirty as her partner was, retorted, shrugging.

"… I hate you…" The pink femme shot back, glaring at her best friend in an annoyed manner.

 ** _[A couple hours ago]_**

Unsurprisingly, Ironhide found himself landing on the floor, face first, after his bondmate managed to break free from his grip during their daily sparring session. As the bulky warrior tried to peel himself off the infrastructure, the cerulean femme smirked and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Sloppy." She mocked her mate. "Are you getting rusted or something, 'Hide?" She taunted, bending over, while folding her hands behind her back.

"Oh, now ya called for it…" The weapons specialist grumbled, while getting in position to attack.

Taking a defensive stance, Chromia rejected an incoming punch; however, she missed to see the following kick, which sent her flying towards the training room's other end. The moment her back hit the surface, she grunted in pain, while congratulating her sparkmate. He was obviously keeping himself fit… All Ironhide did was chuckle and cross his arms in front of his wide chest-plates.

As the femme peeled herself from the wall, the room's door opened and Elita and Optimus entered the place asking if everything was ok. Turns out they were practicing in the other training room, when they heard a really loud noise and got worried.

"Yeah, we're fine." Ironhide calmed them down.

"Just sparring." Chromia shrugged.

The pink femme sighed and placed her hands at the sides of her hip, while arching an eyebrow and cocking her head; meanwhile, Optimus, who was standing behind her, limited to shake his head disapprovingly… The cerulean femme chocked a laugh. Yeah, these two knew them for too long and were aware of how their sparring sessions usually ended up ―hint: they were regular visitors of the Academy's sick bay.

Foreseeing the scold, Chromia was about to say something, but got herself interrupted by Jack walking in, saying that they were needed at the control room. The four bots thanked the message and made their way up to an already waiting Ratchet and Knock Out.

"Ratchet, report." Optimus ordered.

"The scanners detected something in the European continent. Cybertronian origin." The older medic said.

"And given that Thundercracker is a Seeker, it isn't impossible for him to decide to make a transatlantic flight to elude capture…" The Velocitronian added.

Nodding, the Prime told his friends to open a ground-bridge, and called Ironhide to be his backup; the head medic did as told and both mechs readied themselves. Moments after they were gone, another sensor went active; this time, it was an Energon signature.

"Well, since we're still up." Chromia smirked, glancing to her best friend, who returned the smile with a nod.

"Open us a bridge, Ratch. We got it covered." Elita said, and grabbed a scanner.

Moments later, they were in the depths of a forest, scouting.

"The signal is right ahead." The pink femme commented, analyzing her equipment.

"Then let's go!" The warrior practically ordered, while walking ahead her friend. "The faster we're through with this, the faster we get back to base."

"Someone's pumped…" Elita couldn't help but notice, arching an eyebrow at her friend.

The other femme simply shrugged, saying that it was because she just came out of a training session. Unable to do anything else, the commander rolled her optics and sighed, shaking her head slightly. Every single time that the cerulean bot was in such mood, trouble tended to pay a visit… _"I hope it's not one of those cases…"_ Elita thought, while following her partner. However, the femmes' leader knew very well what kind of consequences could come out of an impatient Chromia. In fact, she still had some scratches from the last time they ended up falling into a Decepticon trap; not to mention the time they almost got robbed by some punks, years before the war started. All thanks to certain cerulean bot who just _needed_ to go out that night…

"Hey! I think I found the signals origin!" The older femme's voice made her snap out of her memories and ran towards the entrance of a huge tunnel.

Elita took out the scanner and pointed it towards the passage. The tool started to beep almost immediately, telling them that, indeed, the Energon readings they were picking up were coming from inside. Nodding in satisfaction, the commander was about to call to base… Only to notice that her friend decided to go ahead and scout the deposit all by herself.

"What the…?! Chromia! Come back here, now!" She ordered, with no use, the warrior was decided to be done with this mission. "Ugh… Primus, give me patience. Or better yet, give it to _her_ …" The pink femme muttered before enter the tunnel after the other Cybertronian.

Chromia could barely see in front of her optics, even with their flashlights on. _"Strange… Everything indicated that there was Energon in here…"_ She thought, while looking around for any trace of the alien fuel. All she saw were rocks, dirt, and more rocks… Spending a glance to her companion, she could see that Elita was having a bad feeling too. Their shoulders were tense, and their optics were sweeping the area agitatedly. Could this be a trap? No. It was an awful place for an ambush… The tunnels weren't big enough for a battle, and there was only one way in and out. Engage an enemy in such terrain was suicidal, and none of the two 'Cons they were after were _that_ stupid.

As they got deeper into the obviously abandoned mine, the cerulean femme suddenly told her partner to stop and ran towards a crack on the wall saying that she saw something. Dedicating a quizzical look, the commander followed her friend; however, they were too big to fit the crack…

"We're in luck!" Chromia cheered as she spied into the fissure. "We hit a mother lode!" The warrior added, while squeezing an arm in to take a sample for Ratchet to analyze.

"Good job, now stop that before you get stuck in there!" Elita ordered, worry leaking out of her voice.

"Dammit, femme. You sounded like my carrier or something…" Chromia snickered, glancing at her from above her shoulder before resume what she was doing.

The pink femme frowned.

"The tunnel's structure is unstable. I saw evidence of landslides in our way here, probably the cause of why this mine was abandoned." The commander explained. "The less time we spend here, the safer we will be." Right at that moment the cerulean bot got her arm out the crack, shoving some dust off herself. Elita growled at the other femme for a split second before turn around, towards the exit. "Let's go back to base and inform about our findings. The tunnels are mangling with my commlink, and I can't reach the guys."

The blue Autobot nodded and started to walk towards the entrance… right when something started to crack above them. Raising their lights, the two Cybertronians saw a huge fissure opening right upon their heads. _"Frag!"_ Knowing what it meant, Chromia and Elita quickly changed to vehicle mode and sped up towards the exit… Unfortunately, none of them made it outside.

From outside, a giant and dense cloud of dust was expelled from the cave's entrance; while a bunch of rocks fell down, blocking it.

Inside the tunnel, the cerulean femme was struggling to remove a huge boulder off her waist. Fortunately, she stepped on the brakes on time, otherwise, the exit would've fall right on top of her chassis. _"So far for a quiet field trip…"_ She thought looking at the wall of rocks that used to be the entry, growling in disappointment. If she would've been just a little bit faster, maybe she would've been able to get across on time.

Once she freed herself, the cerulean bot got on her feet and took a few deep vents. Then, she examined the landslide: the barrier between her and the exterior was too thick for her firepower; all she could do was sit tight and wait for help… Great.

Chromia sighed and dropped her shoulders. She was never a patient bot…

A cough made her look back to the tunnel.

"Elita!" The warrior called, while kneeling next to her friend, whose legs were trapped under a boulder. "I got you, buddy! Don't worry!" She assured the pink bot, while pushing the rock off her.

Finally, both of them were free, unfortunately, Elita's legs hurt too much to walk around, so the cerulean femme simply grabbed her by the armpits and sat her against the tunnel's wall.

"Thanks…" The leader coughed a little, her intakes still covered in dust.

"Don't mention it." The warrior said, sitting next to her best friend. "Besides, you would've done the same for me…" Then, she chuckled. "Remember when the platform gave in, and the 'Cons surrounded us at Iacon? A huge rafter fell on top of me."

"I remember me and Ironhide dragging your aft towards the exit." The pink femme mocked her, smirking.

Chromia pushed her with the elbow, and both of them chuckled.

"At least there are no 'Cons shooting at our tailpipes in here." The cerulean warrior soon added, still chuckling.

"That's an improvement…" Elita conceded.

The other one could see that the commander was replaying the events of that day. However, it all ended in a sad sigh as she reached out for her commlink.

"Still nothing… Do you have any signal?" She wondered, looking at Chromia.

Unsure of it, the cerulean femme took her chances and tried to contact base.

Static.

Groaning, the warrior simply shook his head, while crossing her arms. No options then… They had to sit tight and wait for the guys to realize they were gone for too long, and send over a rescue team to their coordinates…

Joy…

…

And that's how we come their current state, in which the two femmes are still trapped inside of the collapsed mine, their patience running thin, and without any signs of the other Autobots coming to get them out. Feeling like she would explode any time soon, Chromia checked her chronometer for the thousandth time, only to discover that they have been there for over five hours. Growling, she got on her feet and walked up to the rockslide.

"And what, exactly, do you think you're doing?" Elita asked, tired, pissed, hurt, hungry, and, most of all, at the verge of pounce onto her friend at the next hint of stupidity…

"It's been too long! The guys should've figured that something's not right already, yet they're not here!" She complained, while trying to grab a hold into a large boulder, only to, eventually, try to move it out of her way. "I have no doubt that 'Hide will come to the rescue and all, but I can't just stay still the whole fragging day waiting for him!" She added, through her gritted teeth.

"Boo-hoo for you…" The pink bot retorted, scowling. "Now get your aft back here, before you cause another catastrophe!"

"I'm trying to get us out of here!" Chromia retorted, letting go from the rock she was fighting with.

"If you would've backed off as I told you, we wouldn't be trapped to begin with!" Elita counterattacked, slamming the dirt next to the sides of her hip with both hands. She was exasperated. "None of this would've happened if you would've, for once in your life, listened to me!" She pointed, an accusatory finger aiming at Chromia's figure.

"What the-?! I _do_ listen to you!"

"Oh, really…" The commander snickered, rolling her optics dramatically. "Like you did the time we got attacked back on Crystal City's entrance?!" She snarled, tired of the same old scrap. "All you had to do was wait on your post to Shockwave and his research team to show their faces; then we would've taken them down, surrender those 'Cons like prisoners, and prevent that mad scientist to keep developing his infamous experiments." She listed out, while gesturing. "But, _NO_ … You just had to shoot before time, give away our position, and send Larcer to the field clinic for almost a quartex!"

Chromia remembered that day as if it would've happened the night before, and still cursed herself for it. She couldn't help herself that time… It was a risky mission ―they all guessed that get all the way through the city, and invade Megatron's chief scientist's lab wouldn't be easy―, yet a big team would be noticed from miles away; so Elita chose her partners carefully: Arcee would stealth as close as she could, scouting the surroundings; Override was almost impossible to hit due to her speed, so she was with them too; Larcer, a former scientist from Crystal City, knew the place, so she would be their map; and, then, they would lead ―Elita as the unit's commander, and Chromia as second in command, like always.

Everything seemed just perfect. So far, no 'Cons noticed the Autobot femmes approaching, so the pink bot sent their scout first; and, nodding, the two-wheeler took the lead and silently ran towards the entrance, taking cover behind every obstacle she could find. Meanwhile, the rest of them would cover her back… And that's when she saw the trooper that was making a round near the gate.

Elita assured her that there was no real danger for Arcee yet, and gestured the cerulean femme to stand down. But when another two drones, plus a Decepticon soldier appeared in scene and started to walk towards where the two-wheeler was taking cover, Chromia's instincts took the best of her… She was trained to protect her unit from any danger. And, so, she blew up her cover and shoot. Next thing the femmes knew: they had to abort the mission and go back to their outpost… while the pink femme lectured her best friend for joors.

Grunting, the cerulean femme decided to defend herself, saying that their current situation had nothing to do with her past mistakes.

"Yeah, right; and the fact that a giant rock fell upon my leg minutes ago, had nothing to do with you plucking a piece of Energon out of the wall…"

Chromia was nanoseconds away from retort, when, suddenly, another set of voices was heard: Optimus and Ironhide! They were trying to dig them out! Happy for being found, both femmes dropped their argument and started to call for their friends, who assured them that they would get them out in no time.

A few minutes later, both femmes found themselves at Ratchet's sick bay, enduring a whole systems' scan.

"Fortunately, none of you received too much damage." The old mech mused out loud, while typing onto his keyboard.

"However, we don't recommend you to take part in missions for a couple weeks; just for precaution." Knock Out completed, taking away the equipment.

"Understood. Thank you Ratchet, and you too, Knock Out." Elita said, while getting off her stretcher. Her left leg still ached whenever she laid her weight on it, but both medics told her that it would go away within a few more hours.

Nonetheless, Chromia noticed her pained wince as the pink bot limped out of the room. Sighing, once the Velocitronian and the old Cybertronian were done with her too, the cerulean femme went straight for Elita's quarters and knocked a few times, hoping for her friend to open. Finally, the pink bot did so ―she was evidently clean, thing that let the warrior know that her hurry was in order to take a bath and remove the dust and sandstone from her wirings.

Another deep intake, and the cerulean femme was ready to talk.

"I… wanted to apologize for… you know, what happened back there." She started, not looking at Elita's optics.

"You mean the rockslide, or the fight that came after?" The pink femme asked, arching an eyebrow.

Chromia chuckled and scratched the back of her helm.

"Both." Then, she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Look, I know I ain't the easiest partner of all, and, sometimes, I can't help but still see you as the pink two-wheeler who grew up with me and who worked at the spaceports warehouses; the one who sometimes needed _my_ help to get away from a stalker or stuff…" She sighed. "I guess that, what I'm trying to say is…"

"I forgive you." Elita interrupted.

The cerulean warrior couldn't help but stare at her friend with a baffled expression, while the pink bot smiled tenderly towards her.

"Chromia, I know you're impulsive… I met you when we barely walked!" She reminded her friend, and both of them laughed at the memory of the day care's room they shared during their childhood. "Plus, you attended the War Academy, and, as if it wasn't enough, bonded Ironhide… _Ironhide_ , from all mechs! I don't expect you to behave like Ultra Magnus; only to be more careful. Not only for everyone's sake, but for your own." Then, she placed a hand at the older femme's shoulder. "I don't want to lose my sis. Either if we're or not related, you're all the family I ever met."

"So far." Chromia added with a wink, while pointing towards the left with her head.

Not understanding, Elita followed the direction… finding Optimus talking with Ratchet at the end of the hallway. Instantly, she went back to look at her best friend with annoyed optics.

"What?" The cerulean bot asked with a shrug, pretending innocence. "You still like the guy, so it's not impossible!"

The comment almost made the younger femme's fans kick in; instead, the pink bot covered her face in embarrassment.

"Why are we talking about my romantic life…?"

"Uh… Because I've seen the way in which you and Mr. Tall and Stoic stare into each other's optics?" Chromia retorted, smirking at her friend's increasing frustration… Especially when she mentioned that she caught them looking at each other in a significant way. "So, when were you planning to tell me that you two are back together? Huh?"

"Since _when_ do I have to share the details of my intimate life with you?" Elita counterattacked, smirking and walking back inside her quarters, but allowing Chromia in too.

"It's called 'being fair'! I told you when I started to go out with 'Hide, and I also told you when we started to talk about bonding!" The cerulean bot justified herself, walking after her best friend.

The rest of the night, they spent it talking about femme stuff, just like the old times… Thanks to which Chromia got to know just how "together" Optimus and Elita really were…

The poor pink femme had to endure a full month of mockery from her best friend thanks to this…

* * *

 **That's all for the moment, I'll be back in a few days, perhaps a week or so, with next story. If I manage to finish Grimlock's one, then he will be the next one, if not, it will be my OC Sunscorch.**

 **See ya!**


	18. Sunscorch (OC)

**Hi, sorry for the delay; I haven't been in the mood of writing lately... At least not these one-shots.**

 **I'm uploading Sunscorch's story today, 'cuz I haven't finished Grimlock's; you'll see, when I first came up with the story, was due to a song I was listening at the moment. I felt like it suited the character, so I had the "brilliant idea" of doing a song-fic... without realizing just how fucking long the lyrics are... I've like five or six pages done, but it isn't yet finished.**

 **So, I hope you understand. I will upload the fic, even if I have to erase the song's lyrics to finish it; which probably will be what I'll do... considering...**

 **Thanks to the lovely guest who commented Chromia's story! I hope you'll like this one too.**

 **Remember that Sunscorch is an OC of mine and Knock Out's sparkmate in** ** _Redemption_** **. Ok? Oh, and, also, I decided to introduce another couple of OCs: Knock Out's parents, Hermes (yes, I couldn't come up with anything better...) and Starnova. I based this fic in _Windblade_ 's comics; you know, in the number where the Camien takes Blurr to compete in a race back on Velocitron, so they could speak to the colony's chief.  
**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there could be some grammar mistakes in here (especially because I haven't rechecked my spelling here... Oops...).**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do now own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Now engaged, Sunscorch somehow convinces Knock Out to go back to Velocitron and present her to his creators properly... Only to discover that she had no idea of how to deal with her mate's parents... nor about her beloved's background..._

 **Genre:** Humor & Romance

* * *

 **-SUNSCORCH-**

 **Introductions and Other Amusements…**

She thought it was a good idea; that it was the right thing to do, considering that they already made the choice of bonding. But, now that she was in Delta City, Velocitron, standing in front of the really neat house with glass flowers decorating the windows and the balcony… Sunscorch was having second thoughts, especially whenever a random bot dedicated a quizzical look to her scarred frame.

 **[Moments ago]**

After a complete stranger arched an eye-ridge at her appearance for the hundredth time, the crimson femme stopped walking and grunted. This caught the attention of her sparkmate, who was walking in front of her, leading the way.

"Scorch?" He called, turning around to look at her, and returning to her side. "Is something the matter?"

"Yes." She admitted, looking straight at him. It scared the poor mech, who immediately ran a scan over her, fearing that she was feeling bad or something. "I'm starting to doubt why the scrap did I decided to come…"

The red mech chuckled at her nervousness.

"Oh, Sun…" He smirked, placing both servos at the sides of his hip. "You've faced entire armies without blinking an eye, yet you're afraid of my creators?" He laughed, lightheartedly.

Unlike him, the Wrecker femme frowned.

"I'd rather wreck a whole Decepticon division, than go through this!" She suddenly snarled. "Uh… I _should_ have fixed myself up a little better too…"

"What do you mean by that?" The medic wondered, scanning her from head to toe, arching an eyebrow.

"I look like a Scraplets' swarm survivor…" She moaned, before turned to look at her backside. "Not to mention that I still have some burn marks from my last training with the guys!"

Knock Out cocked his helm, not sure where this whole ramble was coming from.

"Since _when_ you care about your looks?" He wondered out loud, narrowing his optics.

Right at that moment, a femme passed by; her armor was so polished that it was as clear as a mirror, and so shiny that it caught both bots attention. Sunscorch followed her with the optics, before gesture at that stranger femme, then at herself. Understanding, the surgeon couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Oh, sweetspark…!" The red mech chuckled. "You know that I have my optics and my spark on _you_!" He reassured his mate, with a bright smile. "Scars and everything…" He added, flirty, while passing his arms around her waist. After a minute or two of being in that position, he let go, pouting. "I _hate_ to be shorter than you, though. It's so damn hard to kiss you!" The medic complained, crossing his arms.

Chuckling, she grabbed his chin and placed her lips against his for a couple kliks, before both of them resumed their way; both of them nervous. Although Knock Out wouldn't dare to admit such thing, it was pretty obvious to Sunscorch that he was trembling at the idea of being back on his homeland. She knew why, so she didn't need to ask his reasons; after all, back during the war, they used to talk about their pasts, and he told her about his life in Delta City. According to what he told her, the surgeon was never truly respected among his people, because he had a medical condition that didn't allow him to participate in the races; so, eventually, he gathered courage, and fled. _"And I'm glad he did so. Otherwise we wouldn't have met."_ She thought with a dumb smile on the lips… which faded away when Knock Out announced that they arrived to their destination, and she saw the house.

The medic's old house was big, with bright silver walls, a balcony, and many crystal flowers decorating the large windows. _"He lived in **here**?!"_ She thought, her jaw hanging and her optics unnaturally opened. Paralyzed at the view, the femme looked at her sparkmate, grimacing in complete disbelief. He eventually noticed her stares, and turned to look at her; confusion wrote all over his face.

"What?" Knock Out asked, oblivious to his mate's surprise.

"Were you rich or something?!" She couldn't help but yell. "I wasn't ready to find out that… _This_ …!" She said, gesturing at the fancy building. "… was your social status!"

"I did mention that my sire was a three-time champion of the _Speedia 500_." He retorted, thoughtful, trying to figure where his sin was.

"What the frag does _that_ has to do with _this_?!" Sunscorch asked. Her confidence was already on the ground. One more blow, and Knock Out would find out that his sparkmate ran for the space-bridges.

"Champions are treated like royalty in Velocitron, Sun; and my sire is one of the few in win our most prestigious race so many times in a row. Many wanted him to become the Colony's chief… though he refused. He loved my carrier, more than he liked politics." The medic explained, smirking.

"So you _are_ a high-casted Velocitronian mech!" The Wrecker pressed.

"So what? I left. Remember?" He retorted, shrugging.

"I'm a _laborer_! And I'm about to meet _your creators_! Remember?!"

"Oh, please… You're overreacting." The medic dismissed her fears with a roll of his eyes. "They are going to love you, trust me."

And, before she could stop him to talk things through, he rang the doorbell ―while holding her by the arm when she tried to escape…

The shiny blue door clicked open, and a reddish pink femme with silver and violet detailing, and bluish violet optics appeared at the doorframe. Knock Out simply smiled at her, but it was enough for the stranger to cry out his name, while wrapping him with her arms. _"So that's his carrier…"_ Sunscorch thought, arching an eyebrow at the scene, examining the house's owner. Then, the older femme noticed her, reason why she let go from her son to introduce herself: Starnova, bondmate of Hermes, and carrier of Knock Out…

"I'm Sunscorch a…" She glanced at the surgeon for a split second. "… friend of Knock Out." She said, extending a servo for the other femme to take.

The red mech frowned at the term used to define their relationship.

"She's my sparkmate." He corrected, looking at his carrier, while gesturing towards the crimson femme… who desperately looked for a hole to hide inside.

Starnova blinked a few times before look at the Wrecker and chuckle.

"No need to be shy, dear!" The reddish pink femme said with a warm smile. "Come in! Come in!"

The insides of the house was as beautiful as the outside, and, by the looks of it, Sunscorch could tell that her mate didn't long for anything while he grew up. Sighing, the Wrecker realized how different their lives were; and couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed, especially when her optics laid on the shelves that were holding the family trophies. Getting close, she started to read the names and competitions. Major part of them belonged to Hermes, Knock Out's sire; but there were plenty won by Starnova, even a…

"Hey, K-Out." She called, looking back at her mate, who turned to look at her with interested eyes. "You didn't mention that your carrier won a _Speedia 500_ too." She said, pointing at the trophy.

"What?!" Oh… So he didn't know…

The red mech looked at his mother with wide optics and a hanging jaw. Feeling everyone's optics on her, Starnova simply giggled, closing her eyes, as a tender smile appeared on her face-plates.

"When?!" The surgeon wondered out loud in utter surprise.

"Oh! This last quartex. You know your sire is always invited to that race, but, this time he wasn't in the mood to compete, so I took his place!" She explained, proudly, before let go a chuckle. "I spent such a long time away from the racing tracks that I didn't think I would win! Not even your sire. He mocked me, saying that I would end in third place." Then, Starnova smirked mischievously, and looked at Sunscorch for some femme-support. "Hermes had to make up to me afterwards…"

"Ha-ah!" The medic rose his hands in a flash at those words. "We… don't really need to know, mother." He said, realizing how hot his face-plates felt at the moment in embarrassment.

Starnova simply laughed, before start walking towards the other room, which the Wrecker identified as the kitchen, while telling the couple to get comfortable while she mixed some drinks. The surgeon and the warrior nodded, smiling… though Knock Out seemed kind of relieved of being left alone with his sparkmate, as he walked up to her.

"Seems some bots doesn't change." He tried to joke.

"I like your mom already." Sunscorch, whose confidence returned to her body, mocked his distressed face… Before her optics saw something even more amusing. "Is that _you_?"

Wondering what she was talking about, the medic followed her eyes… noticing the family picture that was hanging in a nearby wall, and couldn't help but curse at the sight of a big holo-picture where he, a mere sparkling, was playing with Solar Flare, who was hitting puberty at the time.

"Ha, ha! You were so _cute_!" The femme laughed.

"Wasn't he?" Starnova admitted, returning from the kitchen.

" _Carrier_!" Knock Out moaned at his carrier's sudden reappearance. Some could swear that the poor mech was starting to overheat due to his embarrassment…

"What? Can't a femme say that her child is cute?" The reddish pink femme complained, narrowing her optics in annoyance, while handing over the drinks. "By the way, your sire's on his way back!"

The news made Sunscorch choke with her drink, confidence fading away again. Oh, great… Now she was kliks away from meeting 'daddy' too…

Before the afternoon tea's hour, the door clicked open again, and a navy blue mech with golden detailing, and green optics entered the house, and went straight to hug the medic, completely ignoring the crimson femme that was standing next to him. Suncorch couldn't help but notice how good-looking both of Knock Out's parents were. Out of nowhere, she started to remember that kids' story that she had to read next to Millie a while ago, "The Ugly Ducky"… and she felt kind of related at the moment.

However, as soon as Hermes let go from his child, Sunscorch felt a servo grabbing her own, and found out that Knock Out decided to introduce her as his sparkmate to his sire. Politely smiling, the warrior shook hands with the racer. Hermes smiled back, while returning the grip… right when the medic decided to drop the bomb:

"I… Um… _We_ would like to have your blessing."

And that was when the time seemed to freeze, right when both Velocitronian's gasped, while looking at the Wrecker, and, then, back at their son.

"W-wait, champion." Hermes stammered due to the surprise. "Are you saying that she's your…"

"Fiancée. Yes." He admitted, passing an arm around Sunscorch's waist.

"I… know this might be a surprise, but… Huh…" Sunscorch spluttered, her processor overworking to try to find a good way to explain it. After all, this was the first time that the surgeon's creators knew of her existence; they had no idea that their offspring has been dating her for mega-cycles. "K-Out and I… We've been together for quite a long time now, and…"

One of Hermes' optic-ridges suddenly rose, accusatorial, while eyeing his son.

"And you didn't tell us about your sparkmate before, because…" The racer wondered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Starnova simply stood next to her bondmate, optics wide and hands on her chassis. Yup, Sunscorch could practically _smell_ her shock.

"There was a war going on, and… well…" Knock Out glanced at the warrior briefly. "It's quite a long story."

"Well, we'll have time to hear it over dinner." Hermes suddenly decreed, placing his hands at the sides of his hip, in a mannerism that Sunscorch knew way too well. So that's how the surgeon adopted that gesture: his sire. "You're welcome to join us, sweetspark." The racer added, looking at the crimson femme with a warm smile.

Family dinner… great.

She had no idea of how she was supposed to behave under this circumstances… However, she simply followed her mate's behavior and kept going. The chat stretched in time as the medic explained the war to his parents, who gasped in surprise when he told them about Sunscorch being a Wrecker, and he becoming a Decepticon ―though he decided not to mention Solar Flare, something that the crimson femme didn't miss. But, as the explanation kept going, the warrior started to feel smaller and smaller for a Wrecker, who could feel the two racers' optics on her more times than once; but she tried to put it aside… Until the environment became too much and she needed to get out of the house; she needed air. She wasn't made for social meetings...

The warrior was simply venting at the front door's staircase, when a pair of pedes joined her, and, soon, Knock Out was sitting next to her. Honestly, Sunscorch didn't want to leave, but… The whole thing became overwhelming for her! She never had any of this! After have born at a hot spot outside Tyger Pax, she passed from day care, to day care. No adult ever took her in, so, when she came to age, the crimson femme decided to become a laborer, and took a scrappy job at Iacon's docks as a heavy-lifter, helping with the cargos that came in and out. As far as she could remember, she was alone...

No wonder she was so unprepared for what she found at Knock Out's old house… Especially whenever his creators tried to make her participate in the conversation, asking things such as "Where do you come from?" Or "Have you planned what to do now that the war is over?" Not to mention the times in which Hermes tried to joke around, just to make her feel more comfortable… but ended up having the oposite effect.

Sighing, she looked at her sparkmate.

"Yeah, yeah… I chickened out." She mumbled.

"I… didn't say anything." Knock Out commented, not looking at her.

"Not out loud."

He chuckled, and turned to look at her, smirking. She smiled back.

Suddenly, he got up.

"Come. I want to show you my favorite spot in Delta City." He said, transforming into his alt-mode.

"Oh, so _now_ you have a favorite place in this colony?" The warrior mocked him.

"Oh, hush, and transform already!"

Without many options, she sighed and did as told; then Sunscorch followed the surgeon through the shiny streets of Delta City, where a bulky vehicle such as her called unwanted attention from every bot around. She sighed again. The more she saw of Velocitron, the more she doubted if Knock Out really wanted to tie himself to someone like her… They were nothing alike!

"We're here!" He announced, while jumping off the road.

She imitated him, and transformed. It looked like a normal skyscraper, if someone asked her, so she made an unimpressed grimace. Besides, it was closed.

The surgeon dismissed her comments with a move of his hand, and jumped the chain, inviting her to do the same. Although not completely sure, the Wrecker followed the medic through the stairs, until both of them found themselves in a balcony from which they could gaze upon the whole city, and beyond. Actually, up there, she understood why Velocitronians are called 'the Night Chasers': there was a clear line that was splitting the arid planet in half, and, while one face was covered in blinding light, the other one had a blanket of ice. The city itself was in the line.

"We drain energy from Velocitron's sun." Knock Out said, resting his elbows on the balcony's security riel. "The planet itself is so close to it that anything that gets stuck on the daylight smelts within minutes. And still, the night side is so cold that your circuits would freeze in hours or less. This thin line is the only safe place; so our cities has to move accordingly, reason why we earned our nickname." He explained.

Sunscorch nodded and took another look around.

"I gotta say it: this is one heck of a sight." She finally admitted, smirking.

"I know. Whenever I couldn't stand the other sparklings anymore, I ran up here and enjoyed the view until dinner. Somehow, it seemed to calm me down." The medic said softly, before look at her. "It seemed that you needed it."

"I…" The warrior femme sighed. "Thank you, K-Out." She simply said, smiling.

He smiled back, but still could feel her doubts and nervousness. So, he decided to go all for all.

"Sunscorch." He called, not looking at the femme. "If I, right now, asked you to bond with me right away, would you accept?"

She chuckled.

"What? Can't hold back for a couple more days?" She mocked him, crossing her arms.

"We took the decision of becomimng one already; this whole trip was your idea, and the only reason why we postposed it." He said, shrugging.

"Wait… Are you serious?" Sunscorch asked, surprised. "B-but… What about your creators?! Won't they feel worried if we just disappear without saying a word?! And, besides, we have no money with us! How're you planning to…?!"

"Oh, please, Scorch… My creators already knows that I'm planning to bond with you, and my sire won't mind to pay a hotel room for a night." He interrupted her, walking closer to the femme, who felt her fans overworking. "So? What you say?" The surgeon asked. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. What about you?"

"I…" She averted her optics. "I never realized how different we were before, K-Out. And, though it made me incredibly happy when you returned my feelings the day I confessed… Now that I saw where you come from…" She looked back at him, frowning. "I'm a Wrecker, a former laborer that was sparked somewhere near Tyger Pax, and grew by herself, because nobody adopted her. I can't put attention to my looks, and I'm nothing like the femmes around here. Honestly, the fact that you found me attractive enough to date me still surprises me; especially after meeting Velocitron. The femmes looks like they came right out of a fragged magazine!" She commented, kind of surprised… and kind of scared. It _couldn't_ be normal that the whole population of a colony was so shiny and good-looking.

Knock Out laughed, calling her attention. Why was he laughing?

"Ok, my turn." He said, crossing his arms, and cocking his head to the side. "I'm native of Velocitron colony. I have creators, Starnova and Hermes, both of them champion racers; and I also have a sister, Solar Flare, who was the family's young promise, since I couldn't race due to a glitch that affects my cooling systems. I love to race, though I can't do it, because I could overheat. To everyone in here I was a pathetic, poor excuse of a Velocitronian; so I escaped to Cybertron, studied medicine and became a surgeon. Then a war hit my new home, and I found myself healing the femme who would stole my spark." Suddenly, Sunscorch felt his digits intertwining with hers. "She was stubborn and drove me crazy more times than not, but didn't give a damn about my medical condition. To my surprise, she also fell for me, and not for my looks but for my personality; so I decided to take my chances and jump into a relationship with her." His grip strengthened. "I committed mistakes. I became what I hated the most… But, I still love _you_. What I'm asking is if you want to bond _me_ ; not my family, not my colony. _Me_."

In a sly move, Sunscorch retrieved her hand, breaking Knock Out's grip, and confusing the medic… only to, later, grab him by the chest plates and force him into a kiss. Being a Wrecker, she always hated long speeches. Time to jump to the action.

… … …

Hermes was casually reading the news on the couch, when his bondmate sat next to him, pouting. He noticed this and arched an optic-ridge at her face, noticing that she was trying to call his attention.

"What?" He asked, chuckling.

"If I still could, I would ground Knock Out for this…" She hissed, always being the sillier of the two of them. Starnova liked to behave like this around him because it always made him smile.

Smirking, the blue mech passed an arm around his femme's shoulders, pulling her close.

"You wouldn't have the metal." He said, going back to the datapad on his right servo.

"No… I wouldn't…" Starnova deflated, cuddling against her husband's shoulder. "But he _should've_ told me _before_ I prepared dinner!"

"Well, they might be back for breakfast… or not." Hermes laughed.

Suddenly Starnova chuckled, accommodating herself against her mate.

"It's like a time loop, isn't it? After all, we did the same, remember?" She commented, closing her optics. "You just _had_ to propose to me out of nowhere… in front of literally everyone."

The mech laughed at the memory. Yes… It was kind of impulsive of him: it was right after winning his first _Speedia 500_ , when a reporter came up to him asking, now that he was a champion, what he was planning to do with his life. Seeing that the interview was being broadcasted in the stadium's holographic screen, he simply yanked the microphone and asked Starnova to be his Conjux Endura… He wasn't exactly thinking at the moment…

Surprisingly, the femme overcame the embarrassment of the sudden public proposal, and accepted him…

Nobody found them for four solar-cycles after that night.

"Well." Hermes suddenly said, putting down the datapad, after checking his chronometer. "They definitely aren't coming back for the night, so…" He looked at his wife. "It's dinner for two."

"I'll take the two extra plates off the table." Starnova announced, getting on her pedes, and walking to the dining room. However, she couldn't help but stop to look at the holo-picture of her sparklings playing in the couch, and smile. He may not be her little sparkling anymore, but Knock Out would forever be her son. Then, a funny thought crossed her mind. "How long you think it will take for us to become grand-creators?" She asked, looking at her bondmate, who was walking towards the kitchen to bring the food, while stretching his back.

"Not long, if you ask me." Hermes said, with a shrug.

… … …

Sunscorch woke up of her recharge in a room she didn't recognized, thing that was enough to make her regain conscience in a split second… until she felt something different within her spark. Arching an eyebrow, she opened her chest-plates, revealing her spark-chamber. Then, she opened it as well, finding that her spark had now the print of someone else's essence within her own. At the view, the memories of the previous night-cycle returned to her processor, calming her mind; and, thanks to that, she could feel how someone else's feelings were entering her spark. _"Knock Out's…"_ She thought, suddenly looking at the other side of the berth on which she was lying, finding that her bondmate was yet recharging.

The sudden realization of their bond being open gave her an idea to tease him, and, soon enough, she bit her lip, while sending some feelings to him. As expected, the surgeon growled, before open his optics in annoyance.

"Really?" He groaned, looking at her amused face.

"Good morning to you too." She mocked him.

Yawning, the red mech sat up, rubbing his optics; the crimson femme soon followed his actions, by sliding her legs out the berth… while teasing him some more through their bond.

Knock Out sighed.

"Why didn't I considered that you would find the way to make fun of me through it?" He playfully complained.

"Yes you did."

He chuckled at the remark, pulling her from the shoulders, so he could kiss her by surprise.

"Yes. I did." The Velocitronian admitted with a sly smile.

Seems that the world could wait a couple more hours after all…

* * *

 **Not my best piece, but I wrote it a long time ago, and didn't want to change it...**

 **Soon enough, we will have Knock Out's. That one is already written, so... next time, when I upload Grimlock's one-shot, I'll also upload KO's one. Ok?**

 **Tell me what you think of this one!**

 **See ya!**


	19. Grimlock

**Hello, everybody, there's good news today! I've just finished Grimlock's story! Yay! So I'm uploading it right now! Next to Knock Out's (which is much shorter than this one... it's more like Drift's size...). Also, I have a few announcements:**

 **First of all, I've detected some mistakes in my previous fics, such as Nightglider's one: the name of one of the Wreckers is Rotor** ** _storm_** **not Rotormaster. I'll fix it soon.**

 **Second, I want to thank to catspats31 for a piece of advice that he gave me not too long ago. I forgot that the song-fics aren't allowed in here, so I'm glad that he detected my first attempt of writing one a couple days ago... Thanks to this I, not only was capable of fixing my mistake, but, also, able to finish this fic way faster! Ha, ha! (Seriously, you have NO IDEA of how freaking long this song was...). So, instead of a song-fic, here comes a regular one-shot! :D**

 **But, seriously, Cats, thanks for saving me back there...**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there may be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformer_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Ever since he was abducted by Shockwave, Grimlock has been in war with himself. Maybe it's time to end his internal struggle._

 **Genre:** Angst  & Hurt/Comfort

* * *

 **-GRIMLOCK-**

 **Roaring Spark**

The air smelt humid and it kind of made his nostrils itch. An acid storm was coming, no doubt… _"Come back to the meeting."_ Grimlock mentally ordered himself, returning his visor to the room he was in, next to his team and the Predacons. Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime were currently vouching for them, trying to convince the Council that they should be treated like any other Cybertronian, and, for so, allowed to live among them. However, the more time they passed in there, the harder it was for the silver grey and golden mech to remain calm. It wasn't that hard to know that these politicians didn't want to have a 'potentially dangerous beast living in the city'. Growling, knowing the truth behind those words, the Dinobot excused himself and left the room.

…

The window's glass reflected the gleam of his red visor, making the proud warrior sigh, somewhat in defeat. Yes. In defeat. Because he lost that day; he lost much more than his original alt-mode. He lost a part of himself…

He could still remember the day Swoop was taken prisoner by that mad scientist, right when he was checking in with him. He would've never admit it out loud in front of Prime ―mostly because he couldn't see the former clerk as a commander―, but he was feeling guilty. Swoop was the youngest member of his team, a newbie who wanted to prove himself in front of his teammates, especially Grimlock, his leader; so, it wasn't hard for him to imagine that the young bot might've been a little reckless, giving away his position. _"I should've never sent him to spy on that cyclops…"_ The silver grey and golden mech thought, while leaning his forehead against the glass. The clouds were now fully visible above the buildings, but the shine of his visor was all he could see now. Subconsciously, his right servo touched his mask. Ever since his scape, he covered his face and never showed it again… Mostly because he didn't want anybody to see the scars beneath.

If he had the power of rewind time, he would go back to the moment in which he sent Swoop to that mission, punch his old self in the face, tell the kid to stay at base, and take his team to report with Prime. Even when he didn't really liked the commander, he couldn't deny that, in the end, he was an acceptable leader. _"He might not be a real soldier, but he shows to care… That's something."_ He thought, right when a lightning cut the sky not too far ahead.

The storm was here. His odor sensors were tingling at the smell of the acid rain that was falling a few blocks away. Scrap. He was going to end up trapped in that slagging tower, next to Predaking, Prime and Bossy Magnus. Great…

"Hey, Boss!" Recognizing Slag's voice, Grimlock turned to look at the other Dinobot, who was peeking out of the meeting room, looking for him. "They came to an agreement. We need ya here!"

"Comin'" was his only answer, as he started to walk back towards the room.

Slag arched an eyebrow.

"You alright, boss?" He wondered.

"Yeah, whatever…"

Inside the room he was faced with the same old rust-bags from minutes ago. He felt his face cringing under his mask, knowing that these people didn't want him around, not after what the 'Cons did with him. In fact, he couldn't still believe that Magnus and Prime wanted him around.

Trying hard not to show any feeling ―disgust, in this case―, the mech of the red visor went to take sit, next to his teammates.

Grimlock missed to notice the look that Predaking dedicated to him.

"Councilmembers, we all agree in the matter that the Dinobots and the Predacons helped in the last breakout, being of vital importance when it came to recapture the runaway Decepticons. And, also, they've proven not to be a threat to any Autobot or Neutral in this, or in any city; in fact, you _ignored_ their presence, until their reappearance during the battle." Optimus Prime stated, clearly losing his patience towards the old politicians.

 _"_ _And he's not the only one…"_ Grimlock thought, placing his servos on his knees, suddenly realizing that he was drumming the floor with one of his legs. Was he nervous? No, he wasn't.

Then…

Then he noticed: he was growing _tired_ ; and he growing tired was a 'potential danger' for the other people in that room. _"C'mon, Prime; c'mon, c'mon, c'mon… Be done with this already!"_ He pleaded, looking at the red and blue mech. Right at that moment, Ultra Magnus opened his mouth to say something… only to get interrupted by the Council's new clerk, who announced that there was some sort of diplomatic trouble that required immediate attention. Thanks to this, the meeting had a small break.

Grimlock sighed, relieved by this, while getting up and leaving the room, followed by his team. Outside, the acid rain was already hitting the city.

"Oh, joy…" Slag cursed, when his optics saw the wet window's glass. "Trapped in this ridiculous tower, next to the entire Council, _plus_ Prime and Mr. Personality…"

"Hey, at least Ultra Magnus helped us to escape Shockwave's compound the second time, remember?" Swoop reminded his friend, while leaning his back against the hallway's wall.

The leader of the Dinobots didn't comment; in part because everyone knew his opinions about Optimus Prime, or any Prime for that matter… Back when he joined the Autobots, the former laborer had a very hard time taking orders from someone who used to be a data-clerk, pretty much a secretary, and had no field experience to lead an army such as theirs. When Swoop was taken prisoner… He didn't even consider to ask for help to Prime. The kid was one of his elements, so it was his problem. Besides, he feared that the red and blue bot would take it on him for disobeying his order of stay away from that quadrant, telling everyone to forget about Swoop…

His bad, again.

This guy would never give such order. He would've probably be part of the rescue team…

 _"_ _Now… I'm paying the price for my awful judgements…"_ He thought, glaring at his own reflection in the glass. A red visor and a golden mouth-plate covering what was beneath, the scars that proved him as an experimental subject. A lightning called everyone's attention, including the Predacons who were minding their own businesses up until that moment.

"Just what we needed… A freakin' storm…" Skylynx snickered gruffly, while gesturing towards the exterior environment.

"I hope you weren't expecting to return to Earth swiftly, sir." Ultra Magnus commented to Optimus, as they exited the meeting room to check whether the Councilmen were planning to return or not.

"It's not my team what worries me, old friend…" The Prime admitted, while dedicating an apologetic look to Grimlock's figure, next to the other Dinobots.

The leader of said group pretended not to be interested in their talk ―honestly, he didn't want to overhear them, but given his enhanced senses, he didn't have much of a choice in that concealed space. Even when his posture didn't indicated it, the silver grey and golden mech was looking at those two Autobots from the corner of his right eye; a flicker of guilt building up at the base of his tank when he noticed the sadness in Optimus' eyes. That guy was really sorry for what happened to them, and was trying to make amends. Maybe it was time to let go from his old grudges…

Another lightning pierced the cloaked sky, too close this time, making all the bots that were waiting at that hallway jolt in their places. Darksteel even transformed out of a defensive reflex, almost as if he got attacked.

"Oh, by the love of-! Get a grip of yourself, brother! You're embarrassing us!" Skylynx hissed, while smacking the younger Predacon's head.

Darksteel transformed again, and started to argue with the other clone; Predaking, on the other hand, rolled his optics and preferred to ignore their bickering this time. He was no babysitter… However, he didn't miss the way in which Grimlock's claws were wrapped around his arms' platting, nor the quivering of his left knee.

Honestly, that Predacon wasn't the only one whose survival reflexes activated when the lightning and its thunder surprised them; the Dinobots' instincts almost kicked in too. In fact, Swoop was now in beast mode, while Sludge was being contained by Slag and Snarl ―last thing they needed was a brachiosaurus in the middle of the Council's tower. However, they missed to notice Grimlock's long and paused vents, as the mech was fighting against his sudden need to transform too.

 _"_ _Don't do it. Don't you dare to do it! Stay in bipedal mode, Grimlock. Don't change…"_ He repeated to himself.

Even when he knew that nobody would miss them, he couldn't just become a predator again and charge against the Councilmembers; worse even, if he transformed, he could end up attacking Prime! If that ever happened, he knew very well what would be the entire Cybertronian population's response: his aft being thrown into a cage until he rusted. That was the good scenario; the bad one started with the letter 'T'…

Termination…

He spied the commander once again, remembering the day in which the blue mech was captured by Shockwave's goons, next to one of their own, and he and the other Dinobots went to the rescue… and ended up captured too ―universe sure had something against him planning rescues…

Maybe, if Ultra Magnus and the guys would've arrived five klicks earlier that day, the consequences wouldn't have been so… severe. He shivered a little at the memory of Shockwave connecting him to that stretcher, and to those weird-looking wires… The feeling of helplessness… The sensation of being fading away, of his consciousness being stolen from him. At least, when in bipedal mode he still had full control over his body, thing that helped him to feel as normal as possible… considering…

But when in beast-mode…

He was never a quiet person, he could recognize that. He wasn't the easiest mech to work with either; ok, he would be the first one in agree with those who classified him as a 'ginormous pain in the rear'… including one of his old bosses. But it was nothing in compare…

Because, when he was the T-Rex… he literally could feel his train of thoughts fading away. It always started the same way: it became harder to speak, then think, and then… then it was harder to control himself. Everything became a threat, everything was nothing but danger that needed to be taken down. Was this a side-effect of the cyclops' experimentation?

 _"_ _No… Not a side-effect, but the main effect. That bastard told me that this was the result he wanted. I… I can't escape… I'm a prisoner… of myself…"_ He used to be an Autobot, a regular one, with four tires and an engine. He had no clue of how to deal with a beast mode. None of them five knew how! But, at least, the others didn't endure the last step of the procedure, in which that mad scientist attempted against his mind…

Suddenly, a clawed servo was resting on his shoulder, and, when turning around to see who it was, Grimlock's red visor was met by two golden optics. Predaking himself. The unimpressed Dinobot looked back at the golden digits on his shoulder-plate, before gaze the Predacon's face.

"If you wish to preserve that hand, _your highness_ , then remove it." He hissed, annoyed.

"I defeated you once, when in beast mode; I doubt you'll be able to take me down when in bipedal." The golden-brown mech replied, but complied, crossing his arms.

So he was taller, bigger and stronger. Big deal. _"You still don't know how to fight in bipedal, you, pompous, little fragger…"_ Grimlock thought, now fully turned towards his challenger, growling under his breath. Behind Predacking, the warrior could see the worried glances that, both, Optimus and Ultra Magnus were dedicating to him, acknowledging just how delicate the situation was.

To tell the truth, the other Dinobots were gulping too…

"Is there anything _useful_ you came here to tell me?" The bot of the red visor grunted.

Predaking glanced at his fellow beasts, before turn towards the other four warriors who were trapped in the same predicament than Grimlock. Then, he looked at the Prime and the former Wrecker.

"May I take him away for a couple breems?" He finally asked.

The look in Optimus' face couldn't be described as he immediately turned to look at the leader of the Dinobots, who had a murderous aura around him right now. Grimlock knew that he shouldn't do it, that it was his tension talking, and that the moment he pounced on the Predacon he was as good as terminated; but he sure was feeling the urgent need of punching the taller mech square between the optics.

"Predaking, I'm sure that it isn't a need. Grimlock deserves to be here as much as you do, and I have full trust in him." The red and blue mech started, as diplomatic as he could.

The Dinobots' jaws fell at that comment. Prime trusted their leader? After all they said and did to him? He still respected them?

The poor T-Rex was also baffled, practically suffering a glitch. Even when he disrespected him, questioned his command, and openly insulted him in front of the whole Autobot army, Optimus Prime just admitted that he still trusts him… _"Ok, I just fell on my head and hit my processor… hard."_ The masked bot thought, a hand on top of his helm, trying to process the new information.

"Of course, I didn't mean that he isn't trustworthy… while in this form." Predaking resumed his speech from his last question, regaining everyone's attention. "It's just that I wish to have a private talk with him, but I do not wish to disrespect your Council." He explained.

"Ya' know, you've a real talent when it comes to passive-aggressive attitude…" Slag muttered from his corner, eyeing the brown mech. He didn't miss the 'in this form' part…

The Prime exchanged a quizzical look with his commander, before go back to Grimlock, asking if he wanted to. The Dinobot, true to his rude nature, simply nodded, scoffing, right before turn and start walking away. Unimpressed, the Predacon was about to follow, but was promptly stopped by Ultra Magnus.

The former Wrecker, grabbed the other bot by the arm, and spoke in a low voice. It was a warning for him alone.

"I don't know what game you're playing, but, for everyone's sake, try _not_ to tick him off…" The blue mech pleaded, frowning. He knew what a pissed off Grimlock looked like, and he didn't want to see that sight again… Less of all from up close.

Nodding, Predaking left the hallway, after the warrior. Unsurprisingly, he found him on an empty room, still looking at the acid storm that was hitting the city, probably wondering how much longer would he have to endure trapped in that tower. He noticed that the silver warrior's digits were drumming against his tight, and he could hear the low growl reverberating inside the Dinobot's chest.

"Calm down, already." The Predacon asked, walking closer to his companion, who didn't move the slightness. "What has you so impatient?"

"What you think?" Grimlock retorted, rudely, glaring at him from under his visor. "You saw Swoop back there, didn't you?" He awaited for the brown mech to nod before continue: "Now imagine if that would've been _me_! Prime and Shoulder-Pads would be running for the hills right now, not to mention that the fragging Council would want my head in a silver plate!" Then he snickered and looked away. "Don't fool yourself… There's no way that those good-for-nothing rust-bags are going to allow us inside their cities, among them… The… 'normal' people…"

"Prime seems to trust you, yet you don't trust him, nor his diplomatic abilities?" Predaking wondered, arching an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised that _you_ do." The silver grey bot huffed, before go back to look out the window. "Don't take me for an idiot, Pred. I know why you exist, I've talked with Magnus and asked him about a 'weird shadow that flew over our heads' the day in which Cybertron relighted." The warrior turned to look at the other mech from above his shoulder. "He told me you almost lunched Wheeljack's head."

"You have been here since then, yet you didn't come to assist us in the battle against the Terrorcons?!" The Predacon asked, outraged by this knowledge. He put his kind in the line of fire to protect the only planet they have, he even accepted the Autobots, who were his sworn enemies not too long before that; and, this guy, who claims that he used to be part of the Autobot army, wasn't able to lift a finger for his 'old friends'?

"I never left the planet, neither my team. For eons, we survived by stealing from the cyclops, plus messing around with his labs." Grimlock said, lost in the memories from those old days. He could still remember how Ultra Magnus bought his excuse of wanting to help the last 'Bots to ship off world; but the truth was that he wanted revenge. After the blue commander left Cybertron, he and his men became scavengers, looking for any clue that may lead them to Shockwave's real hideaway. They found plenty hidden labs, unfortunately, they never ran into the real scientist. They were close once, though. There was a big explosion in Kaon, and they guessed that it had to be him; but, by the time they arrived, the cyclops was gone again… And, one day, after an odd surge of power, he was simply gone. But they found his last lab, and it had anything they needed to survive for another couple eons. "The commander found us much later, when the city was in rebuilding. He told us to lay low, that there was a new Council, and that they wanted us done and gone. So we went back to our old hiding, way inside the Sea of Rust, and way under the surface. Shoulder-Pads dropped Energon from time to time, and warned us whenever the Council's men were too close… He decided to tell us about you three, down the road. In case we ran into each other sometime."

"Does he knows about your… problem?"

At that query, the Dinobot turned on his heels and eyed the Predacon, his posture was threatening, but Predaking forced himself to remain calm. If he followed his instincts right now, then all this would've been for nothing.

"A better question would be: does somebody _doesn't_ know?" The silver grey mech retorted with his raspy voice, while walking up to his companion. "The first time we got caught by Shockwave, we managed to escape thanks to a nearby battle that distracted him. We got reincorporated immediately by Prime, but the others… I could feel their hesitation. And the first time we left the outpost toward the battlefront, I saw why: we weren't like them anymore! We didn't look like them, fight like them, nor behave like them!" Then, he averted his visor. "We took the hint and follow the Wreckers' example, becoming a unit that operates outside of the normal chain of command. Prime respected our choice, or, at least, didn't say a peep about it…" He shrugged, not knowing what went through the red and blue bot's processor that day.

"And the second time?" Predaking wondered, arching an eyebrow.

Grimlock's visor darted towards the taller mech's optics, in clear confusion.

"You said that there was a 'first time' implying that there were more." The golden brown bot clarified.

"The last time we got caught…" The memories of the stretcher, the wirings, the strange machinery all around, plus the blueprints in the screens, returned. Grimlock felt his voice failing to him, his consciousness fading again, and flinched, lowering his head. Why? He was in bipedal-mode, why was it happening?! "The… last time…" All the pictures were becoming a blurring mess. He gripped his head with both hands, trying to concentrate, but he couldn't. Growling, he retracted his mask and his visor, and looked up. "This happened!"

Predaking couldn't help the gasp that came out of him, as he took a step back. He couldn't believe that the guy in front of him used to look like the two Autobots that were waiting for them at the meeting room… Not after seeing how he truly looks right now. To begin with, his optics were scarlet red, and had cat-like irises at the center; plus, he had fangs like himself; but, the hardest thing to swallow were all the scars and cuts that didn't seem to heal, which decorated his grey face-plates. He looked like he was torn open, pulled apart, and patched back together over and over… And ―knowing Shockwave― _that_ was probably what happened to him…

After letting him had a good look of his real face, Grimlock covered it once again. His tension seemed to low a little thanks to this; the mask always helped a bit, that's why, little after his first capture ―and after Ratchet and the other medics admitted that they had no idea of how to revert the experimentation performed in the warriors―, he decided to wear it every day. Plus, that way, he scared the troops less… Specially the younglings. Yet, back then, it wasn't so bad…

"Now you know…" He muttered, shoulders still tense. "I'm always fighting _this_ back, trying to get a grip on myself. But, the moment I transform…" He shook his head. "It's like someone else suddenly takes the wheel… My survival instincts spikes, and, suddenly, anyone around me is a threat." Finally, he seemed to relax. "Then… I just don't know when to stop fighting…"

"You weren't taught how to deal with your beast-mode's instincts…" Predaking suddenly commented, gaining the Dinobot's attention.

"And, who was going to teach me? Shockwave wanted me to be a hundred times worse than I currently am, so he could drop me in the battlefield and let me chew off my former teammates!" Grimlock yelled at the mech in front of him.

"We can help you."

Okay… He didn't see that coming…

"You… What?" The silver grey mech asked in utter confusion, cocking his head to the side.

"We are Predacons, we are born with this instincts, so we know how to control them; both, in bipedal and in beast mode. Perhaps we could teach you." The taller mech offered.

Grimlock scanned him from head to toe, arching an eyebrow behind his visor, suspecting of the bot in front of him. He could admit that he agreed to help him storm through Iacon, helping the remaining Autobots with the runaway 'Cons, and he could admit that Ultra Magnus and Prime seemed to trust this guy, but… He still had his reservations. Especially considering that it was the cyclops himself who bred them. _"Although, they weren't very Decepticon-friendly during that battle. And, they did scrap Starscream not too long ago… Then, again, it could all have been a trick."_ He pondered. If he had to be honest, the truth was that he didn't have a very clear resolution about the Predacons yet…

A golden clawed servo being extended to him in a clear peace offer brought the Dinobot back to reality.

"It's your choice." Predaking pressed.

Grimlock looked at mech's servo, before go back to his eyes; his own optics narrowed behind the visor.

"And what's in it for you?" He wanted to know, because, after all, nothing of Decepticon origin would act so selfless without ulterior reasons.

"The same as you: a chance to be able to live in peace, and being considered normal." He answered, resolution in his voice.

Sighing, knowing that the Predacon saw right through him, the silver and golden bot took his chances and shook hands with his companion. _"I have nothing to lose, anyway…"_ He thought, while both of them let go from each other.

"But I won't be hold responsible if I happen to bite you or spit fire on you, while in training…" Grimlock added, while turning to leave. They had to go back to the meeting.

"I seriously doubt you could inflict damage on me, or any of my brethren for that matter…" Predaking retorted, serious.

Noticing that his sarcasm flew right up his companion's head, the Dinobot smirked under his mask.

"Whatever you say, Pred." He taunted, waving an arm dismissively.

"And restrain yourself from calling me that…" The Predacon groaned.

Grimlock tried his best not to laugh.

Yup. This would be interesting.


	20. Knock Out

**This one takes off from Sunscorch story.**

 **You'll understand...**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Knock Out is kind of worried, since Sunscorch has been avoiding him for the past few days, and wonders what's happening. He sure didn't expect_ this _…_

 **Genre:** Family

* * *

 **-KNOCK OUT-**

 **A Little Surprise**

It was his turn to make the inventory, reason why Knock Out was at the storage room, dapatad in hand, checking what they had and what they didn't; the list would later be sent to Cybertron, where Ultra Magnus would manage the bureaucracy in order to send them new supplies. The medic wasn't sure of what politic scrap Optimus did on his last meeting with the Council, but the Prime convinced those guys to allow them keep their outpost in an alien planet; and, despite he would never say it out loud, he was really happy about it. He wasn't ready to go back to Cybertron… and he would _never_ go back to Velocitron. Besides, his sister was still at large on Earth, so he had more reasons to remain in here, including the children.

Speaking about the kids, now that he thought about it, Millie has been acting strangely in the past few days. Ever since he returned to Earth with Sunscorch, after they bonded, the little girl and his femme had spent too much time together, whispering. At first he didn't really mind it. Sun was his bond, and Millie was his charge ―well… his bond's charge, but…―; the fact that those two were good friends pleased him. What bothered the red mech was that, whenever he entered the room where those two were chatting, they suddenly shut up. What were they up to? He asked this a couple times at Sunscorch, but she kept dodging the question, saying that they simply talked about girl stuff. Finally, he desisted, trusting in his bond… Or, at least, wanting to trust in her. But he couldn't hide that he didn't like their secretive behavior…

"Bandages… Yes, we need." He mumbled while checking the list he had in hand. "Engex?" He arched an eyebrow and blinked, wondering if he read it right. Then he sighed. "Ha, ha… Very funny, Wheeljack…" He grunted, rolling his eyes, while scratching the item.

Suddenly, the storage room's door opened, revealing the figure of his bondmate. The femme entered the place, greeting her mate, who greeted her with a smile, before go back to his job… Until he felt her nervousness.

"Sun, what's wrong?" He asked, turning to look at her.

"I have a surprise for you." The Wrecker said with a sly smile. "Um… Would you close your eyes?" She added.

The medic arched an eyebrow, not really sure of what she was up to… But decided to trust his bond, and complied anyway. It was then when he felt her grabbing one of his hands and placing something on it. Then, he was free to open his eyes.

She gave him one of those white stickers that humans usually plaster to their cars' trunks. Knock Out arched an eyebrow at the gift, because it was something that none of them would ever wear… Its glue ruins the paintjob, and it was stupid to sport a piece of plastic glued to the body. However, as he realized _what_ the sticker represented, the medic's optics widened and his jaw dropped, while he looked up at his femme.

Seeing that he got the message, Sunscorch grinned.

… … …

The rest of the team was at the control room, where Fowler was talking with Prime and Elita, and the children were having a little race with some remote controlled cars. The only one who was in a different room was Ratchet, who was doing some kind of research at the med-bay.

Everything was quiet…

Until…

"I'M GOING TO BE A SIRE!"

Knock Out's sudden yell of joy startled everyone, who turned to look at the hallway that connected the control room to the storage. Ironhide, then, chortled, before cup his mouth with his hands.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" He yelled back.

Then everyone started to laugh out loud…

* * *

 **That's all for now!**

 **Let me know what you think about any of these two stories, or about both of them.**

 **See you soon!**


	21. Millie (OC)

**Hello! It's been a while! How're you all doing?**

 **Today I decided to upload my third OC's one-shot. I've already written June's, and Predaking's story, and I'm working in Rafael's; also, I might finish Crosshair's one too after all (I started to like the character...). However, I'm trying to think something for Bulkhead and Wheeljack, since I literally have nothing planned for those two, and my winter break is coming to an end... So... Yep, that's the situation.**

 **Coira94** **:**

 **Long time no see! How're you? I'm glad you liked the previous story! And, about Knock Out's child: it won't born during these one-shots, cuz they're all taking place during a short period of time; but I can tell you this... It's going to be reddish pink ;)**

 **Knock Out** **:**

 ***Trying not to laugh* After all the arguing we had during** ** _Redemption_** **you really thought that I was joking about the sparkling? KO... KO... I was never so serious in my life. So, congrats, daddy. Oh, and before you try to grab a spaceship and get off the planet, you may want to remember that I'm friends with Magnus and Prowl, and that if I ask them to, they'll bring you right back to Earth (they have the authority to). Not to mention that Scorch used to be a Wrecker, and she would follow you into a blackhole if she has to...**

 **Nightglider: *appearing from behind, hand on his commlink* They got him somewhere around Andromeda, they'll deliver him in a couple hours.**

 **Sunscorch: *walking towards the exit* Good. I'm going to teach that coward not to abandon me and his child...**

 **See? Wish you luck with your wife, KO.**

 **Let's move on, ok?**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Millie has been having some trouble fitting in with the other three kids. Time for Jack and the others to help her overcome her own barriers._

 **Genre:** Family  & Friendship

* * *

 **-MILLIE-**

 **My New BIG Family**

"… and, then I see Springer coming at us yelling. Next thing I know, a bomb goes off, and I end up landing on my tailpipe." Sunscorch narrated one of her many fights to her charge, while both of them were on their way back to base from Millie's school. "By the time I got up, the 'Cons were nearly upon us, and Pyro had the 'great idea' of fooling them, so they would end up jumping into their own smelting pit. Man, that burn chased him forever…" She snickered, remembering something. "Fortunately for us, the Decepticreeps got a little cocky and committed the mistake of dropping some of their weaponry; so, Wheeljack and I grabbed a few grenades and…"

"Wreck and rule?" The girl completed with a big grin on her face.

Sunscorch let out a joyful laugh.

"You know it, girl!" The Wrecker cheered.

Millie, then, chuckled and laid back against her seat. She always enjoyed the bots' stories ―even if they all were war stories―, mostly because it made her feel welcome among the team; but, it also allowed her to know them better by knowing their past. So far, all of them has shared some memories with Fowler's adoptive daughter ―even Ratchet, which was close to a miracle. All but Knock Out… Sure, he told her lots of things, including Scorch, Daybreak's betrayal, and when he joined the Decepticons; but he never kept going from there! At some point she asked her Autobot guardian about it, but all the crimson femme said was: "He just don't want you to know all the creepy details… Trust me…"

Sighing, the little girl couldn't help but feel bad for the surgeon; because it meant that many years of his life were filled with awful memories… She wished she could help him with it; but, how if the mech didn't let her in? _"At least, he'll have a family of his own now… It will help him to move on… right?"_ She thought, remembering the surprise from a few weeks ago; although she already knew… And so did Ratchet, since he was the one in found out when Sunscorch had her standard medical check. After realizing that she was carrying, the Wrecker went to her human charge, and, together, planned on how to tell Knock Out. It was hard to keep such secret from him, but, it was also funny to see him confused and trying to figure out what was going on.

Then, a question popped into her head: her guardian had a baby growing inside of her, right? Then...

"Scorch?" She called, receiving a hum. "Are you allowed to transform while being pregnant?"

Apparently her question must've been a dumb one, since the Wrecker started to laugh at it; thanks to it, Millie couldn't help but blush, while trying to hide her face with her curly hair. She stared down to her knees, feeling stupid… thing that she hated. Especially after all the bully she had to endure back at the foster house…

It was then when a gentle and warm hand caressed her head, making the girl look up, towards the driver's seat, where Sunscorch's holoform was now sitting. The blond woman had an apologetic look on her eyes, as she sighed and pulled over.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." The Cybertronian apologized. "I shouldn't have laugh. Sometimes, I forget that you don't know much about our culture, nor our biology yet." She explained, shrugging and cocking her head. "So, answering your question: yes. I'm allowed, because my T-Cog knows where to put the occupied hatch when I shift."

"You sure?" Millie sniffed, still feeling a bit bad.

"The femme's body is programmed to protect the hatchling, kid. As long as it's inside of me, it's safe." The holoform assured, smirking. Then, she placed her hand under the girl's chin, making her look up. "Hey! Cheer up, kiddo! You're going to be an aunty!"

Ok, _that_ made her chuckle at the strange image that came to her head. After all, she was from an entire different species; and, besides, she saw Knock Out and Sunscorch as the uncle and the aunt she never had. However, the mere thought of them thinking of her as a family member made her incredibly happy; so, unbuckling her seat-belt, Millie gave Sunscorch's holoform a big hug that took the Wrecker by surprise. It took a moment, but, eventually, she felt the Cybertronian returning the gesture, before both of them pulled away, the moment in which the warrior reminded her charge that they were still halfway away from base, and that it was getting late. Nodding, Millie buckled up again, and both of them resumed their previous chat as if nothing happened.

Once they were with the rest of the team, the girl saw the other three human kids competing against each other in some videogame. Since she has been around for barely a year now, Millie still felt a little awkward when near them; especially when they were behaving like this, giving away that they knew each other for quite a long time. _"Still unaccustomed…"_ She thought, sighing, and going straight to the sick bay, where she should find Knock Out.

"Hey, Millie!" Jack called, making her turn around to see him looking away from the TV screen. "How was school?" He asked politely.

"Um… Good, I think. I passed my English test…" She shrugged. It was still weird to interact with someone who was much older than her. At least, when said person was human. Apparently, for her, it was easier to interact with giant aliens than with her own species; but, fortunately, none of them wanted to push her too far, so they were simply allowing her to acclimate at her own pace.

Nodding, the older boy went back to the game… discovering that he was now losing.

"What the-?! Miko, since when do you know how to play this game?!" He complained, desperately trying to catch up with his friends… Unsuccessfully.

In the end, the Japanese girl won the match.

"OH YEAH!" Miko yelled, jumping off the couch, controller still in hand. "I. SCORCHED. YOU!" She celebrated, pointing at the two groaning boys. "Oh, hi, Millie!" She waved with a smile, noticing the girl.

Chuckling, she waved back and resumed her way to the sick bay. Unfortunately, the Velocitronian wasn't there, only Ratchet. _"Oh…"_ She sighed, dropping her shoulders.

"He's in the back."

Looking up, she noticed that the old medic was now looking at her instead of his screens. Smiling, she nodded and thanked him, while running out of the room. Unknown to her, the white and orange mech chuckled, rolling his optics, before go back to work. He would never dare to say it out loud, but he came to like her too…

"BOO-YAH!" Miko's yell came from the other room, next to the not-so-low growls from the boys.

"At least she's not like Miko…" Ratchet muttered, slightly shaking his head and closing his optics.

… … …

On the way to the back, Millie saw the mayor part of the team either chatting at the hallway, or on their way back to the control room; all of them seemed to have taken a bath recently. _"They probably had a training session…"_ She thought, trying to find an explanation. After all, she learned from her guardian that the bots liked to have a relaxing warm bath after their battle simulations ―she has even witnessed some of them, next to the other three kids, and her dad. It was a scary, yet impressive experience for her, since she never saw them in an actual fight.

Finally, she reached the training rooms, and entered the one that was opened. _"Optimus and Elita are sparring again."_ She thought, when she heard the grunts and gunfire coming from the other room ―the leaders, apparently, didn't hold back when facing each other.

"Sounds like they really want to break the tie they're stuck in, huh?" Millie heard Sunscorch asking as she entered the training room.

"It would be the thirtieth time this week…" A familiar male voice answered.

"Knock Out!" The girl called, gaining both bots' attention.

The surgeon dedicated a warm smile to his human friend.

"Hey, there! You just missed another training session." He commented, pointing at the empty room with his right thumb.

"Did you participate?" Millie wondered, noticing the large scratch that her friend had in the middle of the chest.

Knock Out's eyes widened, right before look down at himself and let out a nervous chuckle. No, he didn't participate… Smokescreen tried to perform a flying kick on Ironhide, and got tossed to the side… right where the red surgeon was standing, monitoring the warriors' vitals. The girl winced at the mental picture of her friend being crushed by the Elite Guard… But it kind of explained the blue paint on the medic's body… It must have been one heck of a hit.

"If K-Out doesn't go to the battle, the battle will go to K-Out." The crimson femme chortled, crossing her arms.

"I don't see how getting pancaked by some IMPRUDENT IDIOT…!" The Velocitronian yelled, towards the hallway's door, frowning.

"Hey! I said I was sorry!" Smokescreen yelled back in the distance.

"…is a valid cause to be mocked, by my own bondmate!" He finished, looking at the Wrecker.

"I could mention another scenario in which your paint ended way worse, but there's a kid present…" Scorch retorted, smirking, and starting to walk away; right when Knock Out's fans kicked on high gear.

"Knock Out? Are you ok?" Millie wondered, cocking her head, after Sunscorch left the room.

The mech cleared his throat.

"If your father asks, you never heard _that_ , ok?" He asked, kind of embarrassed, sighing in relief when she nodded.

Then, he offered a hand for her to jump in, and allowed her to sit comfortably on one of his shoulders, while he finished his job at the training room. Meanwhile, Millie started to tell him how her day was, just as she did with Sunscorch on their way there. She even admitted that she was thinking about joining the art club, thing that the medic fully supported, saying that it would be good for her to have some hobby outside the base. She gave him the reason on that, but said that she wasn't completely sure yet…

"Why not? I've seen you drawing, you have the talent." Knock Out commented, trying to help.

The girl simply averted her green eyes, and shrunk on her place.

"Oh, I see." The Velocitronian chuckled. "Someone is being a little shy." His only response was Millie hiding her face with her hair. He couldn't help but laugh a little at her reaction. "Kid, you had the guts to talk to me when I was yet a 'Con, but you fear a bunch of human preteens?"

"It's different…" She mumbled, looking back at him. "It's easier to talk to you…"

"Hm… Yes… I have to admit that I felt the same when we met." He confessed, remembering their meetings at that glade, back when he really needed to talk to someone just to keep himself sane. Never expected to make a friend, that's for sure; but Millie was different from other humans. To begin with, she didn't give a scrap about him being a giant alien.

"Sometimes I cannot even start an actual conversation with the others…" The girl, then, admitted with a frustrated sigh.

She liked the other three kids of the group, they were really kind with her when the Autobots learned about her existence, and made sure to integrate her properly; they even made that huge party to celebrate her adoption! Nevertheless, whenever they started to talk about things that happened long ago, when they joined the team, Millie tended to feel left behind. Like she didn't really belong there… Like she was an intruder. That was why she liked to listen to the bots too. Their lives were so long, that it was more natural for her to hear about stuff that happened centuries before she was even born.

"As far as I know, they haven't bitten anyone yet." Knock Out chuckled. "Well… At least not Jack and Raf…" He added, suddenly.

Millie laughed and punched his shoulder in a friendly way.

"Hey! Miko isn't that bad!" She defended the Japanese girl.

"Sorry, I must've been channeling Ratchet." He said, with a wink.

Right the moment they reached the control room, there was a flick on the electricity that called everyone's, humans and bots, attention. Fowler exited his office, asking what happened.

"Surely not scraplets. We haven't brought any strange Artic pods lately." Miko joked.

"Miko, _please_ don't bring up that day…" Bulkhead pleaded, a hand on his helm.

"Yeah, some of us still has trouble forgetting those little creepers…" Bumblebee commented, kind of trembling, though Millie couldn't tell if it was in disgust or in fear.

"Not to mention that some of us almost froze to dead thanks to those vermin." Arcee groaned, her arms crossed and her back against the wall.

Another power failure, and… the lights were out. Only the cerulean optics of the Autobots were visible, until those who could turned on their headlights. Nightglider appeared from the hallway shortly after, wondering what happened.

"Must've been some problem at the main grid…" Ratchet suggested, thinking possibilities. "Wheeljack, with me. Let's check it out." He called the mechanic, while heading into the, now, pitch black corridor.

"Uh… Do we have to split up? It never ends well in the movies…" Smokescreen wondered, his doorwings down.

Everyone's optics were now on him.

"You haven't recovered from the movies' marathon yet, now have you?" Arcee mocked him.

Suddenly, a screeching noise came from the hallway, calling the bots attention. Ok, now everyone was in max alert… _"What was that?"_ Millie wondered, gulping. She felt Knock Out putting her down on the platform where the others were, just in case.

The noise was heard again.

"Don't tell me…" Bulkhead gulped.

Another screech, followed by a whirl.

"Scraplets! Scraplets!" The green Wrecker started yelping, bringing up his cannons.

Millie couldn't help but take a step back, and grab her dad's hand when that happened; and, of course, Fowler pushed her behind his back. But, even then, she could see Jack groan and roll his eyes.

"C'mon guys! There is no way for a scraplet to have entered the base!" The oldest teenager said, trying to calm the bots.

"He's right." Ratchet agreed, hands on the sides of his hip. "It's probably some wiring making a short circuit, at the main panel…"

"Last time you said that, we were almost eaten alive!" The green mech pressed.

"The last time _we_ brought the scraplets in!" The older medic retorted.

"What's a scraplet?" Millie asked out loud, earning everyone's attention.

The three kids exchanged a look, before go back to her.

"It's like a Cybertronian termite. Only that it eats metal instead of wood." Rafael explained, measuring the bug with his hands ―by the looks of it, the scraplets were of the size of a Toy Poodle.

"If they eat metal…" She looked at the bots.

"Yup. Apparently, they're delicious for those things…" Jack commented, scratching the back of his neck, and earning a growl from Arcee.

Another screech, this time stronger… And, finally, there was a very hearable clank.

Now, all the bots were on their guard. The clanks were approaching…

They were almost there…

"What are the guns for?" A feminine voice asked.

And everyone dropped their guard. It were Elita and Optimus. Turns out that they were still at the training room when the power went completely down, reason why the lock didn't open, and they had to… improvise their way out. And those were the weird noises they were hearing: the two leaders trying to pry the door open…

Growling, Ratchet glared at Bulkhead, who chuckled awkwardly and muttered an apology. Finally, the old medic left the room, carrying his toolbox, so he could fix the problem when he finds it.

After an hour, the power was restored ―Ratchet was right all along, a wire short circuited―, everything seemed to go back to normal: Raf went back to his laptop, Miko was watching some TV show, and Jack was focused in some homework from college. So, Millie decided to sketch a little; and, what could be better than try to sketch one of the bots? Unfortunately, they were constantly moving, and she didn't want to bother her friends by asking them to pose for her… So, she went to plan B: Miko's wall. There were enough pics for her to copy.

She was so immersed in trying to get Bumblebee's head right that she missed the three shadows that the other kids were casting upon her. Until she got frustrated and started to erase part of her drawing…

"Hey! Why're you doing that?!"

Miko's sudden complain made the younger girl yelp and slip off the chair she was sitting on, reason why Millie found herself sitting on the platform's metal floor soon enough.

"Woah! Are you ok?!" Rafael wondered, while helping her up.

"Way to scare the living scrap out of her, Miko…" Jack reprehended his friend, though he couldn't help but fight back a smirk, while also helping the girl to stand up. He would hate to admit it, but it was _kind of_ funny.

"Sorry, Millie, I didn't mean to." The Japanese girl apologized.

"It's okay, just… don't do it again." She couldn't help but chuckle, after all, it was a silly thing.

The other three kids smiled at her, before Jack crouched to pick up her sketchbook and decided to take a look at her drawings. The other two were soon next to the oldest boy, trying to get a glimpse of Millie's artwork; it was a little embarrassing for her, since she never let anyone but her dad and Knock Out to see it. Suddenly, the other kids chuckled together.

"Th-that's…! That's the school's vice principal!" Jack chortled, trying to control himself.

"You sure got his best angle!" Rafael laughed too, relying some of his weight on the older boy.

"The horns are a nice touch!" Miko gave her a thumbs up.

Millie couldn't help but join them in the laughing. Yeah… The vice principal was a jerk, reason why during one of his everlasting speeches, she started to draw a cartoony version of him, wearing horns and all… Nobody among the students liked that guy, and, for what she could see, these three weren't an exception.

Of course that, in no time, some of the bots wanted to know what was so funny; reason why, before long, everyone around the base knew about Millie's sketchbook. It was a big surprise for them to find out that the girl has been drawing them too… She feared to have make them mad about it, but it wasn't the case; they all took it well, even chuckled about it ―especially the Wreckers.

By the end of the day, when Fowler announced his daughter that it was time to go home, Millie made up her mind about the Art Club: she was going to join it.

"I heard a lot of laughing before, something good?" Fowler asked his daughter, while she buckled up and he turned on the car.

"Let's just say that I'm finally feeling comfortable in the team… The whole team." She answered, receiving a happy nod.

From then on, Miko's wall started to be Miko's and Millie's wall; and the base started to feel a lot like a second home for the younger girl.

* * *

 **That's all for now; I hope you liked it!**

 ***Sunscorch passes from behind, dragging Knock Out***

 **See ya next time, with June's one-shot!**

 **Bye!**


	22. June

**Hello! I know it's been a while, sorry; I've been busy with my job.**

 **Here is June's story. Finally, you'll know how Ratchet's holoform looks like! :)**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _June has been attending some mysterious guys every Thursday, after her shift. The reason? She's been giving first aids lessons to some good friends._

 **Genre:** Family  & Friendship

* * *

 **-JUNE-**

 **Back to Medicine School**

"June! Your eight o'clock appointment's here!" Another nurse announced to her friend, while going to check on a patient.

"Thank you!" She said, and checked her wristwatch.

Yes. It was eight o'clock, the end of her shift, and the beginning of her newfound teaching activities… to call it somehow. Chuckling, she couldn't help but remember the first time she found them waiting outside. At first she got scared, thinking that one of the kids got hurt or something… But no. They came over to, specifically, talk to _her_. _"Oh, how embarrassed they were!"_ She recalled, smiling, trying hard not to laugh out loud. _"No doubt that they never imagined themselves in this position!"_ A giggle escaped her lips, as she approached the main door, where two men were patiently waiting for her already.

One of them was a red haired guy of navy blue eyes, who was between his late twenties and his mid-thirties; dressed in a scarlet red outfit. He had his hands tucked inside his pants' pockets, while his eyes were fixed in a pregnant woman who was accompanied by her husband, waiting to be attended. It was Knock Out's holoform; and he wasn't alone…

Next to the Velocitronian was another man, one that looked much older ―somewhere around his mid-fifties―, of cerulean eyes and short and messy grey hair; he also had a lock beard. This one was dressed like a doctor: a white lab coat, under which he was wearing an orange hospital uniform, plus some dark grey hospital shoes. He was simply lost in thoughts, with his hands crossed in front of his chest. Ratchet. It was so weird to see him out of the base that it was almost impossible to believe that he would've created a holoform for himself… Until he explained why they wanted to have a meeting with her.

"Good evening, guys." She greeted the two mechs, who immediately turned to look at her.

"Miss Darby." Ratchet answered with a nod.

"June." Knock Out said.

Immediately after their greeting, the nurse gestured them to follow her towards an empty room where they would be able to work without interruptions. Inside, the mechs found the same tools they've been familiarized with during the past few weeks, when all this started: first aid instruments.

Yes. It was still hard to believe for June, but the doctors came to her with only one petition: to be taught human first aid techniques. It was so hallucinating to even imagine that the two proud medics would want to be instructed all over again, that the nurse, at first, thought that she was dreaming… But, no. It was real. She really had the surgeon and the Chief Medical Officer asking her to train them; and the explanation was good too: now that they had holoforms to interact more freely with the human race, it was only logical for them to learn how to react in case something happened to the four children that roamed their base. So far they didn't have a real need to learn first aids, because, with their size, they would end up killing them; but now they had no excuse.

Smiling, the nurse went to grab the dummy that was used for this practice, while the two Autobots, simply waited next to the door in silence. She chuckled. It was always the same routine… They just couldn't overcome their embarrassment.

"Ok! So… I think today I was going to show you CPR, right?" June asked, placing the dummy on the floor. However, when she looked up to her 'pupils', the woman noticed the medics' horrified faces. "Something wrong?"

"You… do realize that we kind of…" Knock Out's voice trailed off, as he was trying to find the exact way to put it.

"None of us feels really comfortable about this technique." Ratchet completed for his colleague, whose face was turning slightly red.

June wasn't sure of why they were acting so weirdly about a mere first aids maneuver… until she noticed the slight blush on the Velocitronian's face, and her brain connected the dots. These guys has endured hours of movies with the kids, meaning that they _have_ _seen_ what implicates the performance of CPR.

"Oh, come on, guys!" She laughed. "You survived a _war_! You both have saved soldiers by performing really awkward procedures, right out in the field, and in front of everyone! _This_ …" She said, gesturing to the practice dummy. "This is nothing in compare! Besides, it just resembles a kiss, but it's not. All you do is keep the respiratory systems working by breathing into the person's mouth, that's it. It's not romantic. It's just a desperate maneuver to save a life." It didn't seem to reassure the two very flustered bots, who simply averted their eyes. "Oh, stop being such big babies and come here, so we can get started."

As usual, she first explained the maneuver, step by step, before pass to show them the proper way to perform it twice ―one time repeating the explanation, the other one without it. Then, after making sure that they understood, the nurse allowed them to practice. And, just to help them feel better about the 'kiss' thing, she mentioned some instruments that could replace the mouth-to-mouth ―to the bots relief.

She had to admit it: seeing the two doctors so concentrated in learn whatever was needed to know, just to be prepare in case the children suffered an accident, made her smile. Although, she couldn't help but wonder… Shouldn't the others be learning these things as well? Because, sure, Ratchet and Knock Out were the medics, but they tended to remain inside the base most of the time, while the kids were outside with their guardians. What if something happened when the good doctors weren't around? On the other hand, one call, and they would most surely bridge themselves to the rescue; but… what if they didn't reach the zone in time?

Suddenly, a baby's cry made Knock Out cringe, bringing June back to their current position, in which the red medic was practicing the compressions on the dummy, while Ratchet observed. _"Right… Sunscorch is…"_ Remembering the Velocitronian's mate's state, the woman decided to make a quick chitchat with the poor surgeon.

"So, how's Scorch doing?" She asked, trying to sound casual.

It seemed to work, since the younger holoform was now looking at her.

"Oh! Um… She's fine. Everything seems to be developing smoothly." He said, going back to his practice.

"Any way to know if it's a boy or a girl yet?" She asked, correcting the surgeon's hand's position.

Both medics chuckled, gaining the nurse's attention, who didn't understand what was so funny about her question.

"Sorry to disappoint, but we will only know the hatchling's gender once it has born." The soon-to-be-father answered with a smile.

She arched an eyebrow and looked at Ratchet, who smiled at her confusion.

"That's how it works in our species." The older mech answered her silent question.

"Really?" The woman wondered out loud, gaining a nod from both visitors. "Oh… Well, then. Do you have any preference? I mean, what would you like to have? Boy or girl?"

"Healthy." Knock Out chuckled, while finishing his practice, allowing Ratchet to take over the mannequin. Suddenly, he noticed that the baby wasn't crying any longer. "Thank you for calm me down…" He added, looking at the human.

"Don't mention it. I've been there before…" June smiled at the red haired.

This classes kept taking place for a couple more months, since the bots wanted to make sure that they knew what to do in case of an emergency; until, one good day, the medics send her a text saying that they would no longer bother her. June couldn't help but feel kind of sad for it, since she got used to their presence… Besides, it was interesting to talk with the surgeon, now that he was no longer a dangerous Decepticon.

It wasn't until later that she had the real surprise.

One night, when she reached her house, the poor nurse was received by her son… lying on the couch with a bag of ice on top of his right ankle. The teenager, when alerted by his mother's horror gasp, looked up, and automatically started saying that it wasn't a big deal; he simply tripped on the street and twisted his limb. That was it.

June ran to inspect the wound, finding that her son attended to his injury amazingly well…

"Yeah, Arcee did it. Though I had no idea she knew what to do…" The teenager admitted, shrugging and going back to his favorite TV show.

Unaware of it, the nurse started to smile and giggle, knowing that certain pair of alien doctors were behind the blue femme's new medical knowledge… And so was her.

* * *

 **That's it for now!**

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **See ya soon! I hope...**


	23. Rafael

**Hello! I have a little time now, so I'm dropping Raf's story!**

 **Thanks to Lir for the review! Although... Would you mind to repeat the question in a different way? I don't understand what you're asking... Sorry. But, here you have another story with a holoform in it! ^^**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _It's time for Raf to go to MIT, but the idea of moving out of Jasper is frightening for him. He might need a friendly reminder._

 **Genre:** Friendship

* * *

 **-RAFAEL-**

 **Only One Ground-bridge Away**

The day finally came… He had accepted the recommendation letter, reason why he had to put up with its consequences. Even though, the idea of moving out of his house, out of Jasper, out of Nevada, was frightening. _"Maybe I shouldn't… I'm only fifteen, I'm not ready!"_ He thought, fighting his urgent need to throw up as the family car slowed down, indicating that they were almost there. The whole last year, and the whole summer, he kept talking about this with both, the guys and the bots; and, all of them told him the same thing: "This decision is up to you." On the bright side, they were giving him the option to choose, unlike his parents… They were all so proud of their genius son being accepted on MIT before age… But, he _did_ want to go! He wanted to study there!

Growling, the boy took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Why did this have to be so difficult?! The moment he looked out the car's window again, and saw the institute's entrance, he couldn't help but miss his own house… back on Jasper. He was _so_ not ready for this moving…

After parking, his parents helped him with the luggage, and to check in. _"No way back…"_ Taking the keys of his new room, his schedule, and other belongings, Rafael sighed and prepared to start a whole new chapter in his life. After setting all his stuff into his new place at the dorms, he went to say goodbye to his parents; and he stood there, in the parking lot, until the family car disappeared from view. _"Alone…"_ He thought, sighing, and slightly depressed. Being the youngest of five siblings, be totally by his own was a weird feeling… True that he, sometimes, wanted to be left alone by his older brothers and sisters, that's why he usually went to play at the rain ducts down the street. But, after meeting the bots and the guys… He never wanted to be left alone anymore.

"Hey there, college boy!"

Looking up, Rafael couldn't help but smile as a slick, yellow, muscle car rolled up to him. Once it stopped completely, a young man of blond hair and blue eyes exited the vehicle.

"Bumblebee!" He called, running up to the holoform, smiling.

The warrior received him with a tight hug.

"You honestly thought that I wouldn't come to see you off, partner?" Bumblebee asked, chuckling.

"I was starting to have my doubts…" The boy admitted, embarrassed, scratching the back of his neck while letting go from the Autobot. "Especially because you all wished me luck before I left Jasper. I saw the whole team standing at the side of the road." He commented with a warm smile, remembering that all the Autobots went to farewell him, even after they all wished him good luck minutes before.

"Details…" The warrior said jokingly, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. Then, he scanned the campus. "So… This is what humans calls 'college', huh?"

Raf gazed at the campus too, nodding. The place seemed to become bigger by the minute… Man, he was missing home already! But he couldn't show it, not in front of Bumblebee, or the bot would become worried sick about his charge; and he didn't want that… After all, the former scout was like a brother to him; one that always listened, no matter what. Plus, they used to be the youngest guys of the team, so they also were like an alliance. Chuckling, the boy had to admit that he would miss that too…

Turning to look the holoform, Rafael noticed that he was still gazing the campus, but that his eyes were now sad. Could it be that Bee was having the same thoughts? Or… Maybe, the place was bringing back sad memories to him? _"No, it can't be. Bee never… went to the Academy…"_ He thought, and pretty much guessed what it was going on through his friend's processor. The, now, lieutenant was born when the war started; his whole childhood took place between battles, and he never had the chance to attend any educational institution. The Autobots taught him everything they knew, and trained him to survive the war; but that was it. _"Now that I think about it… He once mentioned that he would've liked to attend the War Academy, prove himself, just like Ironhide did. Have a normal youth…"_ Now that he was promoted, the yellow bot was no doubt feeling all this again.

"You're… thinking of the Academy again, aren't you?" He asked with a sad sigh.

The Autobot also sighed, nodding.

"What about attending it now?" Raf wondered out loud. As far as he knew, people was never too old to go to college; maybe, the same rule applied for Cybertronians.

The former scout let go a chuckle.

"It would mean leaving you, guys, for mega-cycles! Education takes _way longer_ for us! I mean… Look at me! I'm four million years old, and still a youngling!" Bumblebee said, gesturing to himself in the last part to stress his point. "Nah… I know where I have to be right now, Raf." He said, smiling warmly. "And it's right here, on Earth, with all of you."

The teenager felt moved by this, and gave his guardian another hug. Yes… All the bots felt the same: Cybertronian life-cycles were impossibly long for a human to even imagine; so, in compare, their lives were too short. The bots didn't want to leave, fearing that, the next time they returned… they might not be around. They just didn't want to say it out loud.

As the embrace ended, Raf fixed the backpack he was carrying and took a deep breath. He couldn't delay this any longer, he had to go in…

But he couldn't. It was like he froze on the spot…

Fortunately, his guardian seemed to notice, as his hand patted the boy's shoulder in reassurance.

"It's ok, Raf. I know it's scary to leave the only home you've ever known, but… This was the choice you made." The bot told his friend, trying to give him strength.

"What if I chose wrong…?" The teenager wondered with a dry throat. "I… don't feel ready to be… alone… Not like this…"

"Hey." Bumblebee called again, making him look directly at his cerulean eyes. "If you ever feel like getting away from here for a couple minutes, just remember: we're only a ground-bridge away. All you need to do is call… Or text. Whatever it's more convenient at the time."

"I'm taking you the word, Bee." Raf retorted, playfully, making his friend laugh.

"Good! Just try not to run us dry of Energon to power it up, ok?" The lieutenant answered, laughing too. "Now, go. Get smarter."

One last hug, and the teenager walked towards the buildings. However, before he got too far, a honk made him turn around, right on time to see Bumblebee blinking his headlights to him just before rolling out of the campus. _"Just one ground-bridge away…"_ He mentally repeated, a smirk crawling up on his face.

As he unpacked his stuff, the boy was already planning when to call for that bridge.

* * *

 **That's it for now! Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Now, the real issue: I only have Predaking's one-shot finished, and Crosshairs' half-written. I'm still thinking about a story for Bulkhead and his buddy Wheeljack, so... You'll have to wait a bit...**

 **Hope to see you around!**


	24. Crosshairs

**Hello! How're you doing? So sorry! I only now realize that it has been like two weeks my last update! I was planning to upload the previous weekend, but, when I re-read Predaking's one-shot... I hated it... Yet, I didn't feel in the mood to rewrite it, so I preferred to wait and see what happens.**

 **Good news is... I finished Crosshairs one-shot instead! :D**

 **Lir** **: Thank you! It makes me happy that you liked the chapter! I like the idea of Bumblebee as some sort of adoptive brother for Raf.**

 **As for Knock Out's origin, I took it from Windblade's comics (he's introduced as a cosmetic surgeon from Velocitron Colony); and, since there are no references about the medic's past during _Transformers Prime_ show, I went with it. However, I didn't follow the comic's story in anything else; I made up the rest of KO's story (the parents, the sister, the bullying, etc.).  
**

 **WoodElfJedi : *blushing in a deep shade of red* Wow... Thank you! Your review makes me really happy! I don't know if this is 'the best set of TF fictions', I mean, there's always someone better! Haha! But, really, thanks! I've also read some of your stories, and I love your writting style too ;)**

 **Let's keep going! :D**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Transformers_ franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Crosshairs was never too fond of working in teams, but Drift has become beyond annoying for him… until the two bots finds themselves needing each other to survive…_

 **Genre:** Friendship  & Hurt/Comfort

* * *

 **-CROSSHAIRS-**

 **Partner  
**

The green mech was in a bad mood, and it was evident to everyone, especially his two teammates, Jazz and Drift. Been stuck in a distant planet due to a malfunction of the space-bridge for over a deca-cycle was NOT how he was planning to celebrate for recapturing a whole bunch of 'Cons. To make it worse, the so called 'knights' who inhabited the city were peacemakers and/or scientists; not his kind of people… He was a hardcore warrior. 'Fun' meant action; and it was evident that he wasn't going to get much of it…

"I can teach you some techniques if you want. You know, to kill time." Drift offered one day, while the three of them were having breakfast, hoping for the portal to be repaired soon enough.

"With all due respect to ya fancy moves, pal… No." Crosshairs snickered, while cleaning his cube of Energon in one sip.

"I know you're tired, 'Hairs, we all are; but your attitude won't help anyone…" Jazz retorted, while refueling, pretending not to be interested in what those two did.

"It's alright, I'm not offended." The white and orange bot apologized his friends' bad mood with a smile.

If it wouldn't have been for Dai Atlas ―the city's chief― being so close to them at that moment, Crosshairs just knew that he would've leaped over the table and smacked that grin off his partner's face. Of course that this guy was so freaking comfortable: he already lived in this place! He was friends with the chief, dammit!

Sighing, the shooter got up and walked away, saying that he was going to stretch his legs. Behind his back, Drift and Jazz exchanged a worried look. They just knew that, any moment now, the green bot would call them, saying that he got in trouble. So, getting ahead the situation, Jazz told his partner to go after their teammate ―just to make sure he didn't do something too stupid―; meanwhile, he would go and check on their prisoners, and in the space-bridge's repair.

Nodding, Drift got up.

…

Crosshairs left New Crystal City's dome, and drove into the desert for a few kliks, until he felt like stretching his back strut. There was nothing in miles; probably, the whole fragging planet was nothing more but a big rock floating in the deep space. Why choose such a place to stablish a colony? _"Slag, 'Hairs; ya know why…"_ He thought, sighing and sitting down on a rock. Yeah… He knew: the war. Many left Cybertron and swore to never return. Surely, this Atlas-guy was among them, and he couldn't blame him ―even when he couldn't stand the knight. Actually… he once pondered whether to return or not… After all, he did a lot of scrap during the conflict, and his loyalty has been doubted more times than not ―mostly thanks to his attitude towards everyone and everything, but…

He could still remember when his shuttle arrived to Cybertron after receiving a message, announcing the end of the war and the victory of the Autobot army; at first, he thought that it was a joke, after so long being unable to outtake the Decepticreeps… But, when he saw the planet slowly returning to its old glory… He couldn't help it, and decided to go back. It was still beyond him why Jazz didn't listen the rumors about him, and decided to recruit him all the same… Especially when he realized that the lieutenant _had_ his profile.

… … …

"Wow… That's a long one…" The white mech said, the first time they met, while scrolling down the datapad he had in hand. "Is there anything you **didn't** do?"

"Settle down and have sparklings." Crosshairs remembers saying, not truly paying attention, until the shorter mech started to laugh.

"That was a good one…"

… … …

Before he knew it, he had a job… Later came Drift.

Groaning, Crosshairs shook his head and massaged his temples. What the scrap was Jazz thinking by putting them together? They were perfectly opposites! The knight was always polite, and was usually in a good mood, not to mention that he liked to be an Autobot, and seemed to be friends with more bots than he. Though… he was a good fighter, he had to give him that, at least. But, still! Ever since the standoff between him and Turmoil, that guy has been a pain in the aft for the green warrior. Something changed that night, and Crosshairs wasn't completely sure if he liked it… At least, before that fight, Drift showed to have his moments of 'bad mood', but now… C'mon! Nobody could be that quiet all the fragging time!

The feeling of not being alone anymore made him react and reach for his guns. In a split second, the green mech was aiming at whoever followed him, only to find…

"Woah! Easy there! It's just me!"

Drift.

Honestly, shoot at him and claim that it has been an accident was tempting…

But he decided to put his gun away and listen to whatever the knight wanted to say.

"Whatcha doin' here?" Crosshairs asked, rudely.

"Just making sure you didn't go too far. This planet may look plain and nonthreatening, but it's not. There are dangers out here." He explained, lowering his servos, which he pulled up in a defense stance when the green bot gunned at him.

The paratrooper arched an eyebrow and took a look around. Nothing but rocks and sand… What dangers was he talking about? Sandworms? Big deal… He dealt with scarier things.

"I know what you're thinking… It's practically written all over your face." Drift sighed in annoyance, narrowing his optics. "What I meant is: this planet is filled with a race of slave dealers, and Cybertronians are an expensive item to sell…" He explained, with his hands placed at the sides of his hip, where his two twin-swords rested. "Also, some likes to dismantle us for parts." He added then.

"Let 'em try. They won't get close enough." Crosshairs dismissed his teammate's worries, crossing his arms and looking away.

"… One of those people killed Wing." The knight suddenly said, lowering his face.

Okay… _That_ got the green mech's attention. He never heard that designation before, but, considering his companion's emotional response to it, he guessed that they were old friends or something.

"Who's 'Wing'?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

"The person who found me, and who… helped me." Drift said, looking at the shooter, only to, again, sigh and look at the desert. "I betrayed Turmoil, so, my only option was run away; but my escape pod crash landed on this planet. That's when I met Wing, who was fighting some slave dealers…" He explained, before look at his teammate again. "He rescued me, trained me…" He sighed. "If I'm here, talking to you, it's thanks to him."

Crosshairs was stuck in one detail of the knight's speech.

"You were a 'Con?" The green bot asked out loud, not really believing it.

"I was called Deadlock back then." The white and orange mech said with a nod.

"The infamous man-hunter?!"

"Yep…" Drift nodded again, grimacing at the bitter memories.

The green mech was at the verge of a spark-attack, trying to convince himself that he was talking with the same person he heard of when the war was yet ongoing. Deadlock, one of Megatron's top men-hunters; the very same who had a price on his head for his crimes… Was this guy? _"There's no fragging way in the universe for this guy to have been a hardcore 'Con…"_ Crosshairs thought, while scanning his partner from helm to ped.

The knight seemed to understand what the green bot was thinking, for he sighed in annoyance, and turned away.

"You just pouted like a sparkling." Crosshairs taunted his companion.

Drift got ready to retort, considering how fast he turned to face the other mech and the scowl on his face; but he never did. Instead, he tackled the paratrooper, making him stumble upon a boulder, falling on his back, grunting in pain. A nanosecond after, the green bot was back on his feet, ready to answer the surprise pounce; only to discover that, what he thought was an aggression, was actually a favor: when pushing him away, Drift saved him from getting shot with some sort of electromagnetic weapon. However, the blast hit the knight, turning off his systems, knocking him out.

 _"What the-?!"_ Before he could take a step towards his fallen comrade, another shot hit the sand, right behind him. He wasn't alone, and he was being used for target practice; he couldn't stay still. Gritting his denta, the mech transformed and drove out of range as fast as he could, only to transform again, guns in hand, and googles placed on his optics. At the first sign of anything moving, he would honor his designation. Then, he should probably drag Drift's aft back to the New Crystal City… After all, he was still his partner…

"C'mon, c'mon… I know you're there…" He mumbled, bullseye on the dunes and rock walls from which the shots came.

Suddenly, a hissing sound was heard right behind him. Remembering a story that the white and orange mech told him and Jazz about a reptilian race that inhabits the planet he was currently in, the warrior peeked over his shoulder. Right on time, too; the moment he turned, the humanoid reptile behind him opened fire.

He grunted a bit, while stepping aside, barely dodging the blast. Seeing this, his attacker decided to scatter.

"No, you won't!" Unfortunately for the organic creature, Crosshairs was called that for a reason. Nonetheless, unluckily for the green warrior, a loud noise distracted him, reason why he missed the shot, though he hurt his attacker. Cursing for this, he turned around… Only to see some sort of very large vehicle nearing… "Slag! Drift!"

In no time, more reptiles were chaining and loading the unconscious mech into the recently arrived truck. Hurrying to get back to his partner's side, Crosshairs changed to vehicle mode and drove towards the truck; but it revved his engines and drove off before he could reach them. Doing the best he could, the green mech sped up and started pursuit; but, the moment those things opened fire again, making him lose control and stumble for several feet, he knew that the game was over.

Groaning in pain, Crosshairs transformed and kneeled up, sand falling from him while doing so. As his optics started to regain focus, he inspected the area: empty. Those zoomorphic creatures were completely gone, next to his partner. _"No… No, no, no, no… Frag it, no!"_ Hoping to find clues of where they went, he started to search through the area. Maybe they left something behind, some track he could follow. Of course that a responsible Autobot would call back for reinforcements, explaining what happened and accepting whichever punishment its superior officer gives to him; but Crosshairs, being who he was ―a showoff with an ego, as many called him through the years―, feared that Jazz would hold him responsible for everything and fire him. Either if he liked or not, he needed this job!

 _"Ok, ok… Deep vents. Let the processor receive some fresh air, and **think**. There must be somethin' I can track down."_ He mentally told himself, while massaging his neck wires. Then, the inspiration: he hit one of those things, and it was wounded; meaning that he _had_ a track to follow! Nodding to encourage himself, the green Cybertronian went back to the place where he fought that reptile, and couldn't help but smile when he saw an amber stain on the gravel. Following the direction of the smudge, he soon found another a couple steps further. He had his trace; now, all he had to do was follow it.

Due sunset, he found himself downhearted again.

The track ended a while ago, and all he was doing now was follow in a straight line since the last mark. Drift wasn't picking up his com link either; so he was pretty much following his gut, without a strategy whatsoever. Damn it! He didn't even know this planet! All he hoped was to find the knight, snatch him out of whichever place those creatures stocked him in, and go back to New Crystal City before Jazz finds out. Considering how long he has been in this task, Crosshairs was pretty sure that the lieutenant was very aware of their absence already, but he didn't want to think about it right now. He had to keep going and rescue his partner.

Exhausted, and with no clue of where he was, the warrior transformed and took a look around. Nothing but plain lands and sand. Lots, and lots of sand… _"Great. All I need now is a giant sandworm wanting to make me his dinner, and my day will be complete!"_ He thought, growling and kicking a nearby stone several Cybertronian feet away. _"I shouldn't have returned to Cybertron, leave alone accept this fragged up job! Last thing I needed was to be paired up with some former 'Con! A man-hunter on top of that!"_ He kept going, while making circles on the ground, his hand s on his hip. _"'I was called Deadlock', the frag you were! I heard stories of that guy, and he wouldn't have got himself caught by a bunch of hissing boots!"_ Gritting his denta, he felt like scraping something. The fact that there was literally _nothing_ around wasn't helping to his current mood. _"This whole thing reminds me of why I preferred to go solo…"_ He finally thought, dropping to sit down.

Yeah… Crosshairs knew he wasn't the most popular bot when it came to team up. His personality usually being the mean reason of it; but, if he had to be honest, he actually encouraged others to leave him alone. Especially because he knew he wasn't like the other Autobots. In fact, given his past, it was a surprise that he was an Autobot at all; considering…

A long time ago, before the war was even a rumor, Crosshairs used to be the best bot for undercover missions. Given his personality, it wasn't hard for him to pass for a low-live thug… And that was pretty much what ended his career, as someone accused him of being dirty. At first he went to his old partner for help… until he found out that he was the one who backstabbed him… No surprise for him when he found out that Barricade joined the 'Cons; which was mostly the reason why he joined the Autobots, so, if he happened to get rid of that bastard, he wouldn't end up being a traitor and having to run for his life. Destiny wasn't on his favor, though… Barricade's other partner during his time in the force found him first; some Goodie-Two-Shoes named Prowl. At least, that backstabber was now rusting in jail, where he belongs… However, Crosshairs still had dreams in which he's pummeling that guy from time to time. Especially when in a bad mood.

As the sun finished to set in the horizon, the green paratrooper sighed and thought about calling Jazz for backup… or at least for any sort of coordinates that would help him find his way back. However, as he reached for his com-link, and in the dark of the night, he saw something shiny in the distance; it were the lights of a city, but… New Crystal City was nowhere close to his current location, was it?

Having a hunch, the Autobot transformed again and followed the lights.

 _"Holy slag… I owe Drift one, fat-ass apology…"_ Crosshairs thought as he found himself sneaking inside a whole hidden city of giant lizards, who were putting creatures of other species into cages. Slave dealers… Just as the knight said. Yet, the worse was the glimpse he had of three or four cold-blooded bastards scavenging Cybertronian parts inside of two large containers. They must've raided some tomb… He really wanted to shoot those guys. If it wasn't because of the memory of Drift saving his aft hours ago suddenly popping into his processor, he knew that he would've blown his cover between the 'merchandise' and engaged those guys in a fight. But he, for once, listened to reason and resumed his search for his partner.

When he finally found him, the green bot could barely believe it: those lizards had him tied up in the center of a room, where the knight was being suspended by some chains… and surrounded by plenty other unnerving characters of different species. _"This… This is a fragging auction!"_ He realized, gritting his teeth in rage. These things were bidding for his partner as if he were nothing but a damn object! And he came right on time to see the winner: some cloaked bastard. _"That's it!"_ Placing his googles over his optics, Crosshairs opened fire, releasing Drift from his bounds. Unfortunately, the bot was still knocked out ―reason why he fell limply onto the ground―; and, also, the room was filled with people who didn't appreciate the interruption of the paratrooper. _"I… should probably have thought this through before shooting…"_ He cursed himself, as the buyers and dealers reached for their guns; not to mention that all the hissing he was hearing behind him meant that there were more reptilian creatures on their way. No options: he tried to reach for his com-link… but had to stop when a shot hit the rock next to his head.

"Cybertronian!" One of the buyers yelled.

"Let me guess: you came here for your friend, huh?" The lizard mocked the green bot, while kneeling dangerously close to Drift's unconscious body, and reaching for the knight's head with one hand.

"You touch him, and I'll have a nice pair of new boots!" The bot threatened… getting shot thanks to his big mouth.

Quickly, he leaped behind a boulder ―some chest filled with some other merchandise to sell, no doubt. From there, he was capable of seeing when the auctioneer hurried the person who bought Drift to take him, before it was too late. Enraged by this, Crosshairs got out of his cover and opened fire again; and, this time, he hit the son of a glitch! Smirking, satisfied by this, the green bot prepared for a second round… Only to freeze on the spot when he got the glimpse of what seemed a metallic reflection, coming from the whole he opened in that guy's cloak.

A pang of pain on his left shoulder made his processor return to the present day, and duck for cover again. Someone had a lucky shot. _"Scrap…!"_ Gritting his teeth, the paratrooper activated his homing-beacon. With some luck, Jazz would receive the signal. They needed backup.

"Come out, and we'll spare your life!" Someone shouted at him.

Oh, he would come out alright…

Right after that order, a green vehicle came out from behind the boulder, and sped up toward the stage where the lizard was hovering over Drift, avoiding the buyers' attacks. Finally, as he reached the other end of the room, the car jumped in the air, and its gear shifted until Crosshairs was, once again, standing his ground.

"Let go from my partner! Now!" He ordered.

The reptilian was about to say something… but the knight came to, right at that moment, shoving the organic off his back. The green warrior hurried to get him on his feet, and pulled him to the backstage, closing the door behind them. This other room was filled with many cages, all of them occupied by different species of different origins.

"C-Crosshairs… Uh… What-? What happened?" Drift asked, leaning dizzily against a wall, a hand gripping his head.

"Simple: you pushed me off the way of an EMP, and the hissing boots hijacked you; so, I followed their track, and found them right when they were selling ya to some creep." The green bot narrated, while looking for something to lock the door with. "I already activated my homing beacon. Hopefully, Jazz may have received my S.O.S. already."

After blocking the door with some boxes he was able to grab, the green bot started to pull his partner to the bottom of the room, to look for an exit; but the white and orange mech stopped him. He noticed that his captors took away his swords, and was now saying that he couldn't leave without them.

"We don't have time for this scrap! We gotta get outta here!" Crosshairs complained, as the sound of footsteps came from a tunnel which seemed to be the only way out. "C'mon! Before they find us again!" He called, hurrying the knight, grabbing him by the arm.

But he broke free.

"Ok, let me say this as clear as possible: I'm _not leaving_ without, at least, my ancient sword!" Drift clarified for his partner, frowning deeply, while looking around for his weapons.

Crosshairs was almost ready to get a grip on his partner's neck. And he probably would've, if it wasn't because the lizards started to storm into the room, and both mechs found themselves fighting back a whole horde of reptilian beings. Plus, they weren't doing a great job, since one of them was disarmed and the other one was hurt. Crosshairs was hating his luck more and more, by the second… not to mention his dear partner. But the white and orange fella was a good fighter, he had to give him that: even without his swords, Drift was standing his ground like a pro. _"Slag, dammit!"_ The green bot internally cursed, as one of the organic creatures kicked him in the chest, making him lose balance and pinning him against a wall, making pressure over his wound. Thanks to the pain, the warrior didn't notice _when_ he let go of his gun, all he knew was that, now, he was pushing his attacker with both hands… until the guy was kicked off him… by Drift.

The knight spared a brief glance toward the paratrooper before look back to another newcomer… and this one had Cybertronian parts incorporated to his anatomy, as some sort of cyborg. _"Now I know why they steal our remains…"_ Crosshairs thought, gripping his pounding shoulder. That last bastard must've dislocated his limb…

"Do ya have a plan?" The green bot asked the knight, who didn't answer.

Instead, as soon as the newcomer started to run toward them, the white and orange bot pounced forward, grabbing the gun that Crosshairs lost kliks ago, and, making a roll on the ground, got back on his feet… and opened fire.

Right on target. As soon as one of his robotic arms fell off, the lizard retreated. Drift simply stood there, scowling, both hands in the smoking plasma blaster he was holding. Only after the attacker was completely gone, he sighed and put down the gun…

"Come on." The knight said, helping his partner to get across some debris that resulted from the quarrel. "They'll be back."

Crosshairs shoved him off, staring at his companion's optics.

" _You_ know how to shoot?!" He questioned, unable to believe his own eyes. Was this the same guy who always refused to fight with anything else but his bloody swords?!

"Seriously? _That_ 's what you want to discuss, right when we're surrounded by slave dealers?!" Drift counterattacked, before let go a growl. "Look, let's find my swords, and get the frag out of here before they bring reinforcements!"

"And I must believe you have any notion of where your weapons may be…?" The green bot questioned, clear sarcasm in his voice.

"They keep slaves and weaponry separated, so they must be…"

"Dude, I was joking!"

As they opened their way towards the place where Drift's swords should be, both mechs hoped for Jazz to appear; but there was nothing suggesting that the lieutenant was anywhere close. Fortunately, Crosshairs was like a walking armory, and Drift had both arms unharmed. _"Ok… I'm starting to believe he was Deadlock…"_ The green bot thought, as he saw his partner punch a lizard out of his way, and shot a few ropes, cutting loose some wild animals that started chasing after a bunch of reptilians.

Finally, as they checked inside a room, the knight saw his swords hanging from a wall. Happy for this, the white and orange bot entered the place to grab them; unfortunately, he missed to see another of those cyborg-lizards coming their way until it was right above them…

But Drift never felt the metallic claws. Instead, he felt a metallic shoulder pushing him out of the way…

"Crosshairs!" He yelled, after rolling on the ground to regain his balance.

The green bot's neck-wires were being squeezed by the lizard, and a worrying creak was starting to being heard. Under better circumstances, the paratrooper would've already freed himself, and would be kicking the organic's ass; but due to his wounds, all he could do was pray for the guy to be quick… Instead, the attacker suddenly lets him go, reason why the green mech was now sitting on the ground, massaging his neck… and staring at the scene in front of him: Drift, twin-swords unsheathed and pointed at the lizard's throat, ancient-sword hanging from his back, was forcing the organic reptilian to back away.

"E-easy there…" The slaves' dealer said with quivering voice, hands up in surrender, and eyes concentrated in the sword's tip which was inches away from his throat.

"The exit. Which way is it?" The knight asked, frowning deeply.

The lizard pointed toward a hidden door, which he was later forced to open.

"Can you walk?" Drift asked his partner, briefly turning to look at him from above his shoulder, only to, in a split second refocus on the lizard.

"Yeah, I'm good." Crosshairs answered, getting up; his processor still wasn't convinced that this hardcore warrior was his partner…

Nodding in acknowledgment, the knight told his reptilian hostage to show them the way out.

Finally, they were at the entrance of the hidden facility, and Drift knocked out the organic that was guiding them, so Crosshairs and he could ran away from the place. The green mech couldn't transform due to his dislocated limb, so both of them remained in bipedal-mode as they sped towards the emptiness of the desert; from time to time, they checked over their shoulders, making sure that they weren't being chased. Fortunately, they weren't; so, after a while, they decided to stop and catch their breaths.

"Next time… I won't doubt your knowledge of this, or any planet…" Crosshairs panted, bending over and kneeling, gripping his injured shoulder.

"Good, because here's that 'next time'." The white and orange mech huffed, straightening up, and gazing the stars upon them. "New Crystal City is _that way_." He finally said, pointing in a particular direction with his left hand.

"… And, _of course_ , you can read this place's stars too…" Crosshairs said, crankily, sighing and rolling his optics.

"Basic survival knowledge." Drift retorted, shrugging.

The green mech grunted and got on his feet, following the knight.

What a _long_ walk it would be…

…

"So, let me see if I get this straight…" Jazz pleaded, arms crossed over his chest, and massaging his forehead, trying to help to his incipient headache. "You two were 'chatting' right outside the city, where you got ambushed by a bunch of slave dealers, who hijacked Drift; so _you_ started pursuit, finding the dealers hideaway, which _you_ managed to infiltrate in order to rescue your partner, who was being sold to some unknown alien. _Then_ , you proceeded to free said partner; and _together_ , not only managed to escape, but also ended up facing giant sandworms in your way here?" He repeated, an eyebrow arched below the cerulean visor, and head cocked in total disbelief.

Crosshairs and Drift ―covered in all kind and colors of dirt― exchanged a brief glance before offer one unison nod to their boss, who ambushed them as the pair was trying to tiptoe their way into the city, through a secret passage that the knight remembered from his first time there. Good thing that Dai Atlas shared its existence with Jazz, whose processor was about to suffer a glitch, since he spent a whole solar-cycle without news from any of his teammates. Honestly, he didn't know what to think about this… and he didn't have the energy either. He spent the whole night trying to contact them, after all.

"And, may I ask, **why didn't you call for backup**?!" He finally snapped.

"Drift's com-link is fried due to the EMP he received, and my homing beacon got damaged during the fight with the bidders…" Crosshairs explained with a shrug. "It's not like we didn't try to call ya; we couldn't." He added.

"We also tried to reach Atlas during the night. I know he will be _more than interested_ in knowing where those cold-blooded bastards lives now." Drift commented, narrowing his optics, while eyeing the door behind him, thinking about the lizard's lair.

Jazz sneered, massaging his forehead once again.

"You know what? I don't care! I'm not in the mood to deal with all this scrap right now!" He barked, turning around, and starting to leave. "Get a shower and a medical check! The space-bridge is fixed, we're leaving!"

Sighing, both warriors started to walk toward the city; honestly, even if Jazz wouldn't have told them to, the two mechs would've ran for the nearest wash rack by their own free will ―especially Crosshairs who had a _very_ close look of one of the giant sandworms that tried to eat them during the night.

… … …

"I thought you knew how to avoid those fraggers, Drift…" He groaned, after surviving a whole bunch of giant worms that seemed to consider him delicious; he was literally dragging his feet behind his partner.

The knight sighed and passed an arm around the green mech to help him walk, although he was exhausted himself.

"No. I said I knew how to go back to New Crystal City; I never said anything about sandworms…" The white and orange bot retorted.

"Scrap, I hate ya…" Crosshairs muttered, panting already. How long have they been walking anyway?!

"Sure…" The former 'Con snickered. "That's why you risked your sorry aft to save mine." He reminded him, trying hard not to burst out in laughs.

"I ain't do it for ya! Got it?! I did it for my own sake!" The green bot shouted, frowning. "Jazz would've had my head if I returned without my partner…" He added, snarling.

"Right, right. And since he's such a _fearsome_ mech, you preferred to go after the giant lizards than face him…" Drift shot back, fighting back a chuckle.

Crosshairs simply elbowed him in the midsection, pissed by the comment. He didn't have to explain his reasons to this guy… He just did his job, and let's leave it as that.

"Thank you, though."

The paratrooper blinked in surprise, before turn to look at his companion. The knight wasn't looking at him, but the seriousness in his face-plate told Crosshairs that he meant every word… Huh. He never got thanked before…

"Ya're welcome…" He answered, averting his optics. "But I ain't hugging you, or anything alike." He quickly added, eyeing his partner from the corner of his eye, frowning.

The white and orange bot smirked at the remark.

The sun was rising up in the horizon.

… … …

Crosshairs couldn't help the smile that crept up to his lips at the memory of their long walk back to the city, as he helped Jazz and Drift push all the recaptured 'Cons through the space-bridge.

He was never a social bot. Many unsuccessful partnerships, and a treason that ruined his career made him isolate himself; and, besides, he wasn't patient either, so train a rookie was out of the question. He was a soldier, and he worked better alone. Period.

"That's the last one, guys." Jazz commented, looking back to his mech. "Let's go home." He ordered, walking towards the space-bridge.

Drift said his goodbyes to Dai Atlas and followed his boss, right after pat the green paratrooper on his good shoulder… as if they were friends. The bot in the trench coat arched an eyebrow at this, and followed the white and orange Autobot's figure as it disappeared inside the vortex. His positive attitude always tended to bring forth Crosshairs short temper; but, maybe, he _was earning_ some respect from the soldier all the same.

Sighing, the green mech followed his comrades into the portal.

Perhaps, it was time to give friendship another chance…

* * *

 **That's all for now, people!**

 **So, you know, I might rewrite Predaking's story, I'm currently writing Bulkhead's and Solar Flare's, while trying to find something for Wheeljack. Also, I've decided to leave my OC's one shot for the end to make the connection with another fic I'm writing right now ( _Out In the Open_ ).**

 **Hope to see ya soon! Please let me know what you think of this one-shot!**

 **Bye!**


	25. Predaking

**Hello! I know it's been a while, but, finallly I rewrote Predaking's stoy. I didn't change its content, though; I just didn't like the way I originally wrote it anymore.**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _As they rebuild Kaon City, Predaking and Grimlock realizes that they have no idea of how they're supposed to administrate what once was the industrial district of Cybertron. So they call for expert help… But the consultant wasn't what they had in mind…_

 **Genre:** Humor & Friendship

* * *

 **-PREDAKING-**

 **TAMED?**

Kaon City was a wreck, as many other Cybertronian metropolis were yet; only difference was the fact that it has been steadily procrastinated in the rebuilding programs, all thanks to its previous owners, the Decepticons. Nobody wanted to enter those walls… Too many bitter memories. Well, nobody but the fearless Dinobots and the fearsome Predacons; and, thanks to Optimus' and Rodimus' intervention a couple quartex ago, they were now running the place. Nobody at the Council was a hundred percent sure of whether it was wise or not to let those mechs running free without supervision; but the two Primes made their point clear: they proved themselves allies plenty times already, and, for so, they were going to be treated as such.

« _Sir, the advisor is here._ » The voice of a drone warned him through the com-link.

Predaking growled and readjusted his trajectory toward the building they were currently using to receive visits. The shadow of the dragon-like Cybertronian rushed through the streets right under him, as he sped up; finally, the moment he arrived to his objective, the mech transformed into his bipedal form and walked in. However, he couldn't help but notice the absence of certain silver and golden beast-former…

Growling, the golden brown bot called for his partner. Fortunately, Grimlock answered rather quickly.

"Where are you? The consultant arrived already." He informed.

« _Really? I'm on my-…_ » Before he could finish, there was a series of clanking noises, some shouting, and, finally, something that resembled a structure collapsing. Not good. « _The frag was that, morons?! Can't I turn for five nano-kliks without you messing things up?!_ » Grimlock yelled at his companions.

Predaking winced at the loud voice of his newfound partner. The guy could be loud when he wanted to be.

"What was that noise?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

« _Two idiots, a drone, a misused driller, and a former platform… Don't ask…_ » Grimlock growled ―probably massaging his forehead at this point.

Although the Dinobot leader proved himself capable of taking charge over the city's rebuilding, there were occasions in which he seemed ready to charge against the drones who were helping them ―all of them used to be 'Cons, but ended up accepting the Autobot final victory and were happy with it now. As a former laborer, the silver and golden mech could tell when a job was being performed poorly; and, judging by the bot's recent behavior, these kind of situations were becoming a habit.

« _I'm gonna be stuck here for a while, can you buy me some time, Pred?_ »

"I've told you, several times now, not to call me 'Pred'…" Predaking hissed between his gritted teeth. He has really grown tired of that ridiculous nickname ―which only seemed to make it more amusing for the other mech, as he kept using it at every chance he had. "How much time you think you'll need?" He wondered, once he found himself in front of the office's door.

« _With this goofballs? Probably a joor, if not more… Sorry, pal; but you'll have to deal with this guy on your own. Good luck._ » He apologized, and it seemed to be about to hung up, but he remembered something important: « _Oh! And, I'm begging ya, don't start with all the 'king' scrap; it scares people away, and we seriously need this help._ »

Then, the Dinobot ended the call.

Predaking didn't know whether to roar, grunt, or sigh at the mixture of helplessness and disappointment that was brewing in his spark. So, in the end, the tall mech simply gritted his teeth, while massaging his temples with his optics shut. It was always the same scrap… Whenever there was some important meeting to attend, Grimlock always found a way out saying that there was an accident of sorts. To tell the truth, the mech of golden optics was starting to doubt the Dinobot… A part of him was pretty sure that the silver grey and golden bot was avoiding this kind of responsibility.

If it was a battle, Predaking had no doubt that he could rely on the T-Rex; but when it comes to political and administrative duties… Well, that was another story…

Sighing, the brown mech entered the room, ready to introduce himself, but only to stop dry on his tracks at the surprise: the bot that was waiting for him at the center of the room… was a femme. She was tall, and had a shiny black armor that gleamed in a shade of blue when hit by the light ―and also had _sparkles_ that made it look like a nocturnal sky with all and stars. Her protoform was pure silver, but her joints were white as her Autobot shield, proudly carved in the center of her torso. She had wide shoulders and a pair of doorwings coming out of her back. However, Predaking couldn't help but arch a confused eyebrow at the turquoise holographic wings that glowed at the sides of her head. And the femme seemed to notice, because she chuckled and smirked, crossing her arms.

"They're just decorative, but I like the way I look with them on." She said, breaking the silence, and snapping the Predacon out of his surprise.

The mech cleared his throat.

"I apologize for my rudeness." He said, while walking closer to the visitor. "My name is Predaking, leader of the Predacons."

"Nebula, former intelligence officer from the femmes' resistance." She introduced herself, while shaking hands with the other bot. "I understand that you have troubles running the city?" The Autobot added, letting go from her companion and placing her hands on the sides of her hip.

"Yes. We're sorry to ask for help, but-…"

"We?" Nebula repeated, interrupting the mech, blinking in confusion.

"Unfortunately, my partner, Grimlock, won't be able to join us; at least not on time. Something happened at a construction zone." Predaking explained, while taking seat on his side of the desk.

"The Dinobots' leader? Now I see why nobody else accepted this job…" She commented out loud, while taking seat too, crossing her legs.

She was kind of relaxed to be in the presence of a Predacon who fought alongside with Megatron at some point, and Predaking noticed this almost immediately. Although it was good to see that there was at least _someone_ besides the Dinobots who wasn't afraid of him, it also made him feel really curious of why. Why wasn't she scared? She was talking with a prehistoric predator of her planet; wasn't this femme, at least, a bit curious? Apparently not, as Nebula started to put data-pads onto the desk between them, while explaining Management 101 for him. Now _he_ was curious.

"How you know about this stuff?" He asked, never minding about the familiarity with which he said it.

The femme shrugged.

"I used to work in a big enterprise before the war started; later, when everything went in freefall and I joined the army… I guess that the other girls saw potential in my ability to learn data such as dates, locations and quantities, fast." She explained, not really caring about it. Obviously, for her, the past was past.

 _"_ _Strange femme…"_ Predaking thought, while grabbing one of the pads, and starting to read it. True, he didn't have much experience with females, but he could guess that they weren't like this one… At least not the ones he had occasion to talk to when the attack to Iacon City was over some quartex ago ―one of them, tough, almost shot him, thinking that he was a Decepticon that got away. Shaking his head slightly to snap out of this train of thoughts, the mech decided to go back to business. He had a city to run.

Couple hours later, they were still talking about statistics, and Predaking's claws were more than digging onto the seat's armrests… It wasn't until right now that he noticed: he was a warrior, not a businessman! He had no idea, nor the slightest interest, about all this bureaucratic scrap that had to be known for those who were in his current position. And the best part of this bad joke was that Grimlock was yet nowhere to be found, and he was the only one who had _any_ experience at an industrial job.

Joy…

Fortunately for him, Nebula seemed to acknowledge his crescent restlessness, as she soon estopped talking about the job to be done, and suddenly decided to ask him about him and his brothers. More specifically, why they refused to join the Autobots, considering that they were fairly accepted by the most respected officers of said faction.

He arched an eyebrow.

"Maybe they accept our existence, and we learned to accept theirs; but we are not Autobots. We are Predacons, and nothing can change that." Predaking said, not truly understanding the point of her query.

"Being an Autobot or a Decepticon is a choice you make by your own convictions. It doesn't matter if you're a Predacon or not…" Nebula retorted, shrugging and arching an eyebrow.

"Then consider us as Neutrals, because we're neither." The mech shot back, not looking at her, but at the data-pad he had in hand.

"Huh. Actually, that's a good idea… Kaon could use some Neutral-like management after these past eons…" She thought out loud, averting her optics and scratching the back of her neck, giving the concept a thought. Then, her sight ended up glued to the scenery behind the mech. The city in ruins and the tall and threatening tower that stretched in the distance was a picture that she wished to forget many times… "I spent three entire stellar-cycles in this rotten place during the conflict." She suddenly said, gaining Predaking's full attention. "I had to gather information about some high ranked officers from the Decepticon army, but my squad got discovered, and we had to back off…" Nebula sighed, lowering her eyes. "I didn't reach the gates on time, and had to go into hiding, cloaking my signal… I still don't know how comes they didn't find me, considering the amount of soldiers they had within the walls, but…"

"How did you managed to escape?" The mech asked, interested.

"Found myself a ground-bridge station and opened one right into Polyhex flatlands. I drove back to base from there." The femme answered without even thinking. Then, she chuckled and relied against the backrest, arms crossed. "I bet those troopers are still wondering what hit them."

The Predacon was capable of picturing the scene, so he couldn't help his amused smile. At least, it was easy to talk to her…

… … …

Grimlock was running towards the building as fast as his legs could take him, not minding his messy appearance, only caring about reaching the meeting. All thanks to those fragging drones and their clumsiness, the beastformer found himself being five joors late. Predaking was, no doubt, going to kill him for this! That guy hated to deal with strangers, especially alone; that was why he always sent for him during these kind of activities. Yet, it has been eight times in a row in which he had to excuse himself from participating, all thanks to the drones that were helping him and the guys in the rebuilding ―at some point, he chased the purple mechs away in his T-Rex mode, unable to stand them any longer. The Predacon surely thinks that he does it on purpose by now…

Panting, the silver and golden bot was about to enter the office when he was distracted and frozen by an unknown sound: Predaking's _laugh_. Grimlock felt his processor about to glitch. Predaking, _the_ Predaking, was… laughing? It must've been one heck of a joke. _"Wait a… Is that a femme's voice?"_ The Dinobot wondered, while leaning into the closed door to hear better the conversation that was taking place inside… Only to discover that the door wasn't locked, so it opened when sensing his proximity, almost sending him down to the floor. Fortunately, he stopped himself from falling miserably onto his faceplates; unfortunately, he was now the attention center of the two bots who were already in the room. As fast as he could, the newcomer recomposed and introduced himself.

The femme who was so casually talking to Predaking nodded in acknowledgment, before getting on her feet and introducing herself as well. Nebula. Under the red visor, the Dinobot arched an eyebrow, wondering what kind of power does she has to put the Predacon in a good mood… Especially because such ability could come in handy sometimes…

"It's already nightfall, we should continue this matters tomorrow." The brown mech commented, getting on his pedes.

"Very well. I'll be here first hour in the morning." Nebula agreed, while picking up her stuff. "Good night, Predaking." She said with a small bow, receiving the same gesture in response. Then, she started to leave, but stopped next to the Dinobot. "Grimlock." She bowed too; then left the room.

The silver and golden mech waited for the door to slide closed, and then turned to look at his recent friend.

"You let her call you by your designation?! It took me and my boys three quartex for you to stop referring yourself as 'king'!" Grimlock cried in utter surprise. Was this the same mech he has been living with for a stellar-cycle?!

"You told me not to bring it up, remember?" Predaking shrugged, taking seat again.

"And since **_when_** do you listen to me?!" Ok. He was scared…

Limiting himself to roll his optics and sigh in annoyance, the Predacon tossed a data-pad to Grimlock, while informing him that it contained what was discussed during that afternoon's meeting. He wanted the Dinobot to learn its contains due tomorrow's morning, so he would know what they were going to discuss.

Grimlock couldn't believe that his partner was being so nice with this total stranger. Since when does this guy likes strangers anyway?! And, then, it hit him.

"Wait a… Could it be…?" The silver and golden mech blinked a few times before complete the question: "Do you like her?"

None of the other Predacons or Dinobots could come up with an explanation of why Grimlock was running away from a furious Predacking, both of them in their beast-forms. However, none of them did anything to stop them either… It was way too funny.

* * *

 **See ya soon, I hope!**

 **Please tell me what you think about it.**


	26. Wheeljack

**Hello, people! Yes, I'm still alive, and very sorry for the really exaggerated delay!**

 **Hi, Lir! Thank you for your reviews! Ha, ha! Yeah, I couldn't help but team up Drift with Crosshairs, and Grimlock with Predaking (I just** ** _had_** **to make them chase each other!); I'm really happy that you enjoyed both stories! And, also, thank you very much for giving me ideas for Wheeljack! I decided to go for a story with a character he tends to bother, but it's not Ultra Magnus ;)**

 **About the comics; I started to read them, 'cuz I liked the movies and TV shows, and I felt curious about it... However, ALL OF THEM disappointed me in two factors:**

 **ONE: they're ridiculously violent, to the point in which you don't know whether the guy is an Autobot or a Decepticon. So, I wouldn't recommend _More Than Meets the Eye_ , because the DJD is part of that saga...**

 **TWO: some of the stories just... suck. In fact, some of them makes me wonder what the writers were thinking when they decided to come up with _that_...**

 **Now, I haven't read a lot of them... I started with** ** _Windblade_** **, and tried to follow her story (it crosses with several other story lines...), mostly because it was funny to see her fighting with Starscream. It's not** ** _great_** **, but it's a decent comic, I think. If you read that one, and like it, then I would recommend you** ** _Transformers: Till All Are One_** **. I liked that saga one; it's not too long. However, the first one I read was** ** _Transformers: Drift_** **, which continues in** ** _Transformers Spotlight: Drift-The Director's Cut_** **(it's not as good as the first one, but it's not awful either); however,** ** _Transformers Drift: Empire of Stone_** **is AWFUL. Seriously... I didn't like it, at all.**

 **Another one that's good is** ** _Transformers: Megatron Origin_** **, I checked it out 'cuz someone recommended it to me. Again it's not great...  
**

 **However, if you liked _Transformers Prime_ , then, there's this one called _Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots_ , which explains what happened to them during the show.**

 **That's all I can tell you about the comic books. ^^**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Wheeljack has always considered himself a tough guy and a hardcore warrior on the battlefield. Seems he has met his equal… in another kind of field…_

 **Genre:** Humor & Friendship

* * *

 **-WHEELJACK-**

 **I'm Not THAT Kind of Doctor!**

With the kids on their respective educational institutions, Fowler attending a meeting, and the team having the place for themselves, it wasn't weird to see the Autobots catching up with any sort of activity they've been longing to do for a while, or were doing rounds looking for the two 'Cons that got away during the battle against the Combiners. Wheeljack, for an instance, was doing some maintenance on the bunker's systems and wirings; something that they should've done a month ago ―a.k.a. something _he_ should've done a month ago, but forgot due to a little off-road trip he made with Miko.

After checking the power grid of the ground-bridge, the Wrecker started his way toward the mainframe's one; only then, as his steps echoed in the hallway, he noticed the overwhelming silence that was filling the base. The place was so quiet when the kids were out… And boring too. He was already missing the pranks he used to pull off in company of Miko ―especially the kind of mockery that made Ultra Magnus burn his fuses. But with the commander now leading the Elite Guard back on Cybertron, and the girl attending college on Japan, his pranking days were mostly over… Bulkhead didn't like to piss off Ratchet ―one, well-aimed, wrench to the head, and Wheeljack learned why. That didn't stop him from calling the old mech nicknames whenever he could, though…

The moment in which the Wrecker removed the panel, the utter silence was broken by one ear-destroying scream that made him jump on his place and hit his head with the pipe that was right above him. _"The frag was_ _ **that**_ _?!"_ He wondered, while gripping his aching helm with both hands. It sounded like a femme; but there was nobody in the base, save for the medics and him. Unless… someone returned from its joyride already?

Another scream was heard, and, this time, Wheeljack was capable of recognizing the voice-print: it was Sunscorch. What could've happened to her to scream like that?!

« _Wheeljack!_ » Ratchet called through the com-link, even though they were in the same bunker. It made the white mech arch an eyebrow, suspecting something was wrong. « _Come to the sick bay! NOW!_ »

The old bot sounded pretty shaken, which wasn't a good sign coming from him; so the mechanic did as told, rushing toward the room. Maybe some equipment malfunctioned or something? Was someone hurt? Maybe 'Scorch ran into the 'Cons they were tracking…?

None of the above.

The moment he entered the sick bay, the Wrecker froze on his tracks at the sight of Sunscorch being placed in one of the stretchers by the two medics, Ratchet and Knock Out ―the scarlet surgeon seemed to be sharing his mate's pain. _"Ok… What's going on?"_ Wheeljack wondered, scanning the scene with an arched eyebrow. Unfortunately, he was about to find out the hard way, as Ratchet ordered him to go to the storage room and bring three cubes of rarified Energon for the incubation pod…

It was enough for the Wrecker to guess why his old partner was in pain: the hatchling was coming!

Hurrying, the white mech ran to the back of the bunker, and searched for the things the medics needed, finding them quite easily. Rarified Energon was bluer and shinier; besides, it had no other use but medical, since it was the fuel used to feed the newborns ―and, it was, also, one of the prime materials of the cyber-matter, reason why it was found in Cybertronian hot spots.

Once he had the three cubes, he ran back to the sick bay and deposited it on the medics' desk, after which he intended to leave, so they could work without intromissions. Surprise! Ratchet suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder, and yanked him back inside.

"Oh, no! You're not leaving just yet!" The old medic stated, while Knock Out sterilized some tools on the back. "Fill the pod's tank, and power it up, so it will be ready to sustain the hatch." The white and orange mech ordered the warrior, pushing him in the device's direction, while he returned to his patient's side.

"The hatch? Isn't the little one…?"

"Birthing?" The Velocitronian surgeon interrupted, turning to look at him from above his left shoulder, while cleaning something. Then, he chortled. "You talk as if you never studied Biology when being a youngling." He added, and placed all the tools on a plate, ready to use.

"The hatchling is not ready yet, but it has reached the critical size, and has no room within Sunscorch's carrying chamber. At this point, her inner systems are struggling, trying not to get crushed; while her protocols prevents her from opening the compartment, exposing the hatch. It's only increasing the inner pressure; so it needs to be extracted, and placed at the incubation pod… Which **I don't see you** ** _powering up_** **!** " The older medic told Wheeljack, who, understanding, hurried to do as told.

As the male Wrecker filled the pod with the rarified Energon, and started it up; the female one was cursing in every dialect she knew, between lots of crying and yelling. It was enough incentive for the white warrior to be thankful for have never reproduced… He wouldn't like to put a femme in such position. As he was finishing, Sunscorch let go another shouted curse, and, this time, Knock Out bended over too, holding onto his knees.

"Hey, you alright there?" The mechanic asked, going to assist the surgeon.

"Yes… It's the bond…" He explained with a hoarse voice.

Of course… Bonded bots feels what the other one does, and, considering the circumstances, both of them were feeling quite miserable right now… After reassuring the soon-to-be father, the Wrecker finished his homework and attempted to take his leave once again; only to be called one more time by Ratchet, who just disinfected his servos. Apparently he needed one more thing from the warrior: his assistance… as his nurse.

It was enough to make everyone turn to look at him as if the old mech just sprouted a second head or something.

"What?! Wheeljack?!" Knock Out practically snarled. "We'll have better luck with a Scraplet!" He added, gesturing towards the warrior, who didn't appreciate the comment.

"Isn't there… Ugh… Any _other_ way?!" The crimson and golden femme managed to ask.

"No, there's not." The medic retorted, serious. "Knock Out, you and I know this is a job for two; and you can't participate, because these are _your_ bondmate, and _your_ offspring. If anyone finds out you took part on the procedure, you'll lose again your medical licenses for ethical controversies." He reminded his colleague, who averted his optics, aware of it all. "Calling anyone else would take time, and considering Sunscorch's pain, we don't have it. Wheeljack _will have_ to be my nurse, there's no other option!" He kept saying, looking at the male Wrecker now.

The warrior felt like his spark just stopped working… He? Performing a surgery? Was he out of his fragged mind?! He had a degree in science, alright… In _mechanic_ science! He wasn't a doctor! He used to be a scientist in Cristal City, and he lost his job because he failed when calibrating a piece of equipment; and he didn't notice until he turned it on…

And pretty much lost half of the lab… and his reputation… and his job.

He tried to refuse, to point out half dozen reasons why he couldn't be a nurse, but Ratchet didn't listen to him. Instead, he made the former scientist to wash his servos, and prepare for surgery. _"Heavens have mercy…"_ Wheeljack thought, as he washed his hands, and tried to mentally prepare for what he was about to do.

That was when Knock Out walked up to him, bringing a towel for the warrior to dry himself. The white mech thanked the Velocitronian, but only found himself being pulled from the chest-plates toward a scowling face… Who would say that Knock Out could be scary?

"Don't you fragging dare to mess up, Wrecker. Or I'll personally castrate you with your own swords…" The red mech warned him in a low voice, before handing over the towel.

Wheeljack hoped to be up to the challenge… for the welfare of his bearings.

At first, everything was pretty simple: all he had to do was handle things to Ratchet, and help him with some sort of echography to know the exact location of the hatch. It was after this last thing was done that the real job started, as the old medic strapped Sunscorch's wrists and ankles, immobilizing her.

"Uh… Is that necessary?" The white mech wondered out loud.

"I treated plenty carrying femmes in my life." The white and orange bot said. "The first time, I received a kick to the gut…" He added, looking straight to the Wrecker. "So, yes. It is a need."

"A kick to the…?" The warrior repeated.

"Extract the hatch from its carrier is a painful procedure for the femme. Unfortunately, unlike the organics does, we can't sedate the soon-to-be mother during the surgery; the stasis gas affects _every inner system_ including the ones that supports the hatchling itself." He explained, before looking to Knock Out and Sunscorch. "I'm sorry, but it _will_ hurt. Even for you, Knock Out, due to the bond."

Both bots took a deep vent and nodded, saying they were ready. Nodding too, Ratchet told Wheeljack to take place next to him, and to bring the surgery tools. Gulping, the white mech did as told, and watched as the medic started the procedure, by making the femme's armor move away, and, finally, opening her plating, revealing the carrying chamber. But what truly called Wheeljack's attention was the way in which Sunscorch's gears had moved inside of her, making room to the bright blue capsule that was growing inside of her, making an impressive amount of pressure onto the femme's systems. At the sight, the white mech felt a little bit dizzy.

"Point the light." Ratchet ordered, making his 'nurse' come back to reality. As the beam showered the hatch, the medic scanned it. "Everything seems to be just fine." He nodded, putting the scanner aside, and bringing up his empty hands. "Ok, I'm going in."

"W-wait…! You're going to…?!"

Before Wheeljack could finish the sentence, the old mech started to caress the sides of the blue bag that contained the unborn hatchling, looking for something, while ignoring the femme's grunts of pain… and the white warrior's gags of disgust.

"There it is." The medic muttered, retrieving one of his hands, and reaching at the Wrecker, expecting something. "Scalpel." The white mech complied. "Prepare the clamps to stop the leak."

"The what?"

Before the white and orange mech could answer, Sunscorch yelled a curse, while struggling with her bonds, startling the white Wrecker.

"Clamps!" Ratchet ordered, taking out his hand once again, and giving the scalpel to his assistant.

Wheeljack complied handling him a small black object, designed to compress an Energon line, stopping its flow. After less than a second, he had to give the medic another one; and, suddenly, he was asked to go and open the incubation pod; after it, he was told to help the older mech to _grab_ the hatch.

" _What_?!" The warrior yelled, feeling his Energon ran cold. "I'm not touching it!"

"Yes, you will! I need help to carry it to the pod!" Ratchet retorted.

"I don't want to-!"

"Wheeljack, you slaggin' coward! Help Ratchet, or Megatron will look like a _joke_ compared to _my_ wrath!" Sunscorch interrupted the white mech, scowling with her optics closed, trying to manage the pain. Good thing Knock Out was sending her some waves of comfort through the bond; it helped a bit… _Just_ a bit ―after all, the surgeon's spark was kind of brewing in anger against the mechanic's lack of backbone too…

On the bright side, the threat of a pissed off carrier chasing after him seemed to be motivational enough for the warrior. Immediately after her words, Wheeljack was helping Ratchet to carry the delicate capsule made of solid (yet thin) Energon toward the incubator. Once it was safely deposited inside, the old medic closed the device, and announced that the little one was safe, and happily feeding from the fuel that filled the capsule. It put a smile on the faces of the hatchling's parents…

Although, the peaceful silence was abruptly interrupted by a loud and heavy clank that made everyone look down: Wheeljack suffered a glitch, and was now passed out on the sick bay's floor.

"Wimp…" Ratchet huffed, narrowing his optics in annoyance. "Alright, Sunscorch. Let's be done with this, shall we?" He proposed, walking up to the femme, and ignoring the fainted warrior he had on his med bay. Fortunately, he didn't need assistance anymore.

…

…

Three hours later, Wheeljack woke up groaning, feeling awful, and with the mother of all headaches. As he sat up, the mech noticed that he was now on one of the sick bay's slabs, and not on the floor; also, he noticed that Sunscorch and Knock Out were gone. _"What…? How long was I out?"_ He wondered, gripping his head… and suddenly remembering what his hands touched seconds before he blacked out. Jolting, he looked at the incubation pod, and noticed that the little one was already safely inside of it. He sighed in relief.

"Welcome back to the living." A grumpy and raspy voice said.

Looking to his left, the Wrecker noticed that Ratchet was typing something into the medical database, his back turned to him.

"You didn't suffer any physical injury, just a small dent on your left shoulder, since you hit a table's on your way down, but nothing else." The old mech kept explaining, now turning to look at him. "As soon as you feel good enough, you're free to go." He said, waving a hand in a dismissive way, and turning again.

"Ratch…" Wheeljack called, almost whispering, with his head low and his optics glued to the floor. His companion looked at him, waiting for the warrior to continue. "I would appreciate if you don't…" He cleared his throat. "… tell Bulk… or anyone… that I… Um… You know."

"Passed out during a normal Cybertronian 'delivery'?" The medic clarified, arching an eyebrow at him.

Wheeljack nodded in shame. Millions of battles, and he always faced the danger straightforward, not even blinking; it never mattered whether it was a single opponent or a whole horde of 'Cons, he never showed fear. So it was immensely embarrassing to admit that he panicked to the point of suffering a glitch. _He_! A seasoned _Wrecker_! Fainting during a birth! Less than that! During the removing of the hatchling's capsule! If Bulkhead ever get to hear about it, he would never let the mechanic forget it… Wheeljack just knew it.

"Fine for me." Ratchet shrugged.

Smiling, the Wrecker got off the table and started to exit the room.

"See ya later, Doc." He waved, opening the door.

"Whatever… ' _Sunshine_ '." The older mech retorted, with a smirk firmly plastered on his face.

And the remark made Wheeljack froze in realization: for the first time in _eons_ , he passed out… in front of Ratchet and Knock Out, of all bots. Forget Bulkhead; the old medic wouldn't let him see the end of it. That was for sure…

Groaning and gripping his head in shame, the Wrecker made a mental note to _never_ make fun of any of the medics; especially not the Chief Medical Officer…

At least in hopes to _never_ be asked to be a nurse for as long as he functions…

* * *

 **Hope you all liked it! Sorry, again for the delay... which is about to repeat. I haven't finished the last two stories...**

 **Now, about this one: it's just my own idea of how would it be if these guys could reproduce (after all they had males and females, at least in this show), because, for starters, their bodies are made of metal, which means limited space. That's why I came up with the 'critical size' stuff... Plus, I already have stories in which Sunscorch is carrying and another in which the hatchling is already in the pod, so, this is the in-between scene...**

 **See ya!**


	27. Bulkhead

**... I have no excuse for the delay, guys. Sorry.**

 **BraveSeeker3 : I now understand your point of view, and, yeah, I might've changed my mind about some of the issues. In fact I started to like some stories from ****_More Than Meets The Eye_** **("How Ratchet got his hans back" and "Shadowplay", for example); however, I still have reservations about some characters, such as Overlord, and most of the DJD (four out of five).**

 **But I still dislike** ** _Drift: Empire of Stone_** **. It felt stupid, considering the character's past...**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise, nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Helping Miko to rearrange her pictures, Bulkhead realizes that there're lots of memories they do not share. So he decides to start by sharing his…_

 **Genre:** Friendship

* * *

 **-BULKHEAD-**

 **Stories**

It was a quiet morning; maybe too quiet, since most of the kids weren't there ―Raf was still at Massachusetts, Jack was having a hard time with a paper he had to turn in in a few days, and Millie caught a cold. The only human at base, besides Fowler, was Miko. Usually it meant noise; but, today, it didn't. As soon as she realized that she had the base for herself, all the Japanese girl did was start moving the pictures from her self-proclaimed Wall of Fame; and, given there wasn't much else to do at the place, and the other tasks were covered, Bulkhead decided to help his charge with it. Besides, his holoform was taller than her, so he could reach the upper pictures without the need of a ladder.

"Hey, when did you take this one?" The Wrecker wondered, as he found a photograph of Miko, Jack and Rafael. They seemed to be having a picnic at some park.

"Oh! That's from a year after you, guys, returned to Cybertron!" The teenager explained, taking the image from her guardian's grip. "Jack graduated from high school that day." She said, pointing at the black robe the oldest boy was wearing. "June took the picture."

Then, as the Japanese girl started to look for a good spot to place the pic, Bulkhead started to scan the rest of the collage, and couldn't help but notice that there were plenty memories that he didn't share with Miko ―there was even one of the three kids at some waterpark. The Wrecker smiled, sadly, but not because the kid kept going with her life while he was away; nothing farther than that! No… He was sad because… he missed it. _"Now I know how she felt whenever we talked about something that happened on Cybertron…"_ He thought, suddenly finding the pic his charge snapped of Optimus, Ironhide, Ratchet, Chromia and Elita ―'The Veterans' as everyone called them, not because of their age (the medic would kill them if that was the case), but because of their ever-lasting friendship. Next to it, he found another one, way older than any of the others: one taken before the war…

Months ago, they happened to find a datapad that had some pictures stored. Among them, one of The Veterans at the Hall of Records… but, in it, Optimus and Elita were yet Orion and Ariel. It was a nice reminder of who and how they were before; and the kids loved the fact that they, now, had a window to that past they always talked about.

"You ok, Bulk?" Miko wondered, worried for her friend, as he seemed to freeze on the spot.

"Huh?" The Autobot snapped back to reality, blinking and turning to face the teenager. "Oh! Yeah! I'm fine, Miko!" He assured her, chuckling. "Nothing to worry, 'bout; I just… got lost in thoughts, that's all." He shrugged.

The girl smiled at this and kept going with her task, suddenly snickering as she found some amusing picture she took of the bots when they weren't looking. Then, when her eyes fell on the photos from the welcome party they celebrated a year ago, when the team returned to Earth, Miko couldn't help but stare at Knock Out's figure. Something he said a while ago was yet rounding her mind: Breakdown's and Bulkhead's past. The surgeon said that the Stunticon betrayed the green bot to help him enter the Decepticon army; and Bulkhead always said that they had quite a history, so…

"Hey, Bulk?" She called, earning her guardian's full attention. "You and Breakdown… What exactly happened between you two?"

The Wrecker stared at the human like he just saw a ghost, which was pretty much true… He hasn't given much of a thought to those old days in eons, decided to apply that human saying, 'the past is past'. Besides, remember how things were wasn't going to, either, bring the mech he knew back, nor change a damn thing. Breakdown had his chance, and made his choice. Period.

But, then again, Miko just didn't know about him and that guy. She was not even born! Ha! Not even her _ancestors_ were born then! And, if he had to be honest, this wasn't the first time she asked about this particular matter… Sighing, he decided that it was time to come forward with it, and finally answer her questions. Besides, if they now knew that there was a time in which Optimus and Megatron were best buddies, it wouldn't be so weird to admit that he, once, considered Breakdown a brother… right?

"He and I were in the same construction team, back on Cybertron. Long before the war was even a rumor…"

… … …

 _Iacon City. Epicenter of culture in Cybertron, and one of the largest metropolis of said planet. It had the densest demographics, which also meant biggest and tallest residential towers, which were constantly being built here and there. It wasn't strange to bump into laborers who were on their way to their job in the mornings, nor to hear the buzzing noise of the construction machinery, especially when they were yet excavating to make the foundations. But, this time, it was a demolition: the building was too old and unstable. It had to be taken apart carefully, before it provoked a disaster. The cranes and other equipment were visible from kliks away._

 _Within the structure, the laborers were making an inspection, seeking for the best point to start the job. Among them, a green mech, Bulkhead, was making a quick check of the infrastructure, while chitchatting with his best friend._

 _"Then I stared at her like 'the scrap?'. I mean… C'mon! First, she's super excited about the whole date-thing, and, suddenly, she tells me 'I want to breakup' totally out of the blue, and in the middle of the club." The blue laborer narrated his awful evening to his friend, looking for some support._

 _"Told ya' she wasn't worth it, Breakdown." The green bot sighed, shaking his head. The scanner started to beep as it found a dangerous crack on one of the supporting pillars. "But you never listen to me…" He said, marking the place._

 _The other bot snorted disdainfully._

 _"The best part of the joke? She was cheating on me…" Breakdown kept saying, crossing his arms._

 _"What?" Bulkhead couldn't help but raise his optics from the scanner he had in hand to look at his friend. "Seriously?"_

 _"Yep." The other mech nodded, narrowing his optics. "So, in short, last night is in the top ten of the worst nights of my life… Probably the second place." He kept saying, while resuming their work, and taking over the scanner to take a look at the readings._

 _"Second? Which's the first?" He asked, following his friend._

 _"Remember the time we accidentally fell in a hole, which was a scraplets' nest?"_

 _The green bot shivered. Oh, yeah… He remembered. He could still hear the swarm of creepy-crawlers in his nightmares as they caught up with another laborer who fell in with them. Breakdown and he were the lucky ones who found a way out in time, using the old catacombs beneath the city. After that episode, they swore to never take a night shift again… It was easier to see unstable fractures on the ground during daylight._

 _After the whole place was scanned thoughtfully, all laborers left the building, so they could start working. Bulkhead and Breakdown went to grab their gear._

 _"Hey, I was meaning to ask, how're things going with…? Uh… You know…" The green bot wondered, unsure of how to finish that question, knowing his friend didn't like to talk about it._

 _"My shrink?" Breakdown completed the query, arching an eyebrow and smirking lightheartedly when the other mech nodded, embarrassed. "Good. Though, it still pains me to have to go there…" He admitted, shrugging._

 _"But it's working, I can tell. You don't double-check over your shoulder anymore…" Bulkhead tried to cheer up his friend._

 _Unknown to most, poor Breakdown suffered paranoia since he was a sparkling, thanks to which, most of the time, he tended to feel like he was being watched all the time. Like he had cameras pointing at his head 24:7; but he always managed to keep it under control. However, when the boss found out, he didn't like it… not one bit. But he made a deal with the blue laborer, due to his impeccable service sheet: he could keep his job, if he went to therapy. He started it one or two stellar-cycles ago, and always hated to talk about it. He even made Bulkhead promise to not even insinuate the matter. However, and despite of this promise, the green mech has been wondering about it, ever since he started to notice a little improvement in his friend's behavior._

 _It was good to hear things were fine._

 _Actually, Breakdown chortled at the mention of his old tic._

 _"Yeah, well… I still make Rung hunt me down the halls, if that makes ya' feel better." He admitted, making his friend laugh._

 _"Now that's the Breakdown **I** know." The green bot joked, smacking his partner on the back. "Hope you're not making things too hard for the poor mech."_

 _"Hey, I'm behaving!" The blue laborer chuckled, punching the other mech on the shoulder in a friendly way. "Also, I have someone helping me attend my sessions, remember?"_

 _"Right… The medic trainee you crushed when running from Rung." A real punch to the waist from the other mech. "Your words, not mine!"_

 _"I **bumped** into him! **Bumped**!" It was yet embarrassing to remember how he practically ran over the poor kid, when trying to ditch his psychiatrist, refusing to attend therapy. The red mech didn't even see him coming his way, as he turned around a corner… By the time they saw each other, it was too late. Fortunately, he was unharmed… _

_And, miraculously, they befriended each other after Breakdown apologized for it._

 _"It was one heck of a bump!" Bulkhead mocked him, grinning._

 _"Oh, c'mon… It was merely a scratch!" Breakdown growled, before cut the chat and go to actually work, before the boss decided to kick them out._

 _As the sun started to set, the old building was ready to be demolished; and, minutes later, whoever was nearby was able to hear the rumble as the structure came down, raising a cloud of dust. At the zone, the laborers prepared to start the cleanup._

 _The heavy machinery whirled to life, next to some workers whose vehicle-modes were designed for this kind of job ―some were long cranes, or bulldozers. Bulkhead and Breakdown, however, had to use their servos to move the debris, since their alt-modes weren't specific for this task; however, they were bulky. Move large pieces of scrap wasn't much trouble._

 _Four hours after, when their shift ended, the two friends were able to drag themselves back to their apartments. Both were itching to take a bath and, then, go to recharge. So, once they reached the highway, the two laborers said their farewells and drove away…_

 _Just another normal day for them._

… … …

"No way!" Miko yelped, arching her eyebrows and widening her eyes. "You and Breakdown were BFFs?!"

The Autobot chuckled, nodding and admitting it. Yeah, they were like brothers… Some even joked about them being welded by the hip, considering that they were always together. But, back then, the blue mech was different. Clumsier and a bit paranoid, but he was a good person…

"But you two were archenemies!" The teenager exclaimed, confused and unable to put both pictures together.

"That… came later. After the war was well underway."

… … …

 _To be honest, he never thought himself a warrior. He was a laborer. Period. But with the Decepticons appearance… He wanted to give it a shot. Maybe he would be able to save some people; perhaps not everyone, but he could help, at least,_ _someone_ _. And the Autobots gave him the chance to prove himself. Not only that, but, after seeing what he was capable of, he got assigned to the Wreckers. A unit of hardcore warriors who were known for taking missions nobody else would. They weren't many, but they were brave and strong… and one heck of a mixture. For an instance, he may have been a laborer, but there were scientists in the team, such as Perceptor. Also, there was this guy, Wheeljack, former mechanic from Crystal City; the white mech and he talked one or two times already. Great guy; a little hard to keep in line, but he meant well. They all were under the command of a warrior class mech called Springer; and there were a couple of other warriors in the unit, including one called Kup, and another one designated Seaspray. Both of them were impossible to shut up…_

 _It was during a recon that he ran into Breakdown, who was carrying a small trailer behind his vehicle-mode ―it had all kind of medical equipment on it._

 _"Hey!" He called, and the blue truck stopped on his tracks. "Breakdown!"_

 _"Bulkhead?!" The laborer transformed into bipedal, and smiled when recognizing his friend. "Thanks the stars! It is you!" Both mechs hurried to bump fists, greeting each other. "I heard you joined the army."_

 _"Yeah, I'm with the Wreckers. Really cool guys, you would love 'em." Then, he spared a glance towards the trailer his friend had with him. "What's up with all this gear?" He grabbed a stasis can from a stack. "Don't tell me you joined the medics."_

 _The blue mech chuckled at the suggestion, knowing that he was the least suitable bot to be recruited by a medical team. So, he explained that he was just delivering supply to a field clinic, where his other friend was working._

 _"Only two or three others takes this duty, besides myself." Breakdown sighed. "It's a small clinic, but it's always filled with warriors needing immediate attention; however they're, also, running out of equipment all the time."_

 _The green bot could see the sadness in his old friend's optics as he remembered this clinic. It was obvious that there was where he was spending his days since the start of the conflict; and there was where he wanted to stay until the end of it. To be honest, he always thought that Breakdown was fighting at some battlefront; after all, the guy was as strong as he was. Nonetheless, it was good to see him helping somehow…_

 _His com-link pinged._

 _"Bulkhead, here." He said._

 _«_ Ran into some 'Cons three kliks ahead. _» It was Perceptor's voice. He was talking in a low tone, so he was probably taking cover behind something. «_ They're trying to block the bridge. _»_

 _«_ How many? _» This time, it was Springer talking._

 _«_ I'll say… The odds are ten to one. _»_

 _«_ Sounds like fun. I'm in. _» Wheeljack kicked into the conversation._

 _«_ To all Wreckers in the area, we'll rendezvous at Perceptor's coordinates. Springer, over and out. _» Their squad's leader ordered._

 _"Gotta go, Break. The team's going to battle." Bulkhead apologized to his old friend, who nodded, understanding. "If you were planning on taking the old bridge, I'll suggest you to take a detour."_

 _"Wait, the South Bridge?" The blue laborer asked, optics widened in realization as his friend stared at him in surprise. "Slag dammit! That's the fastest way to the clinic, and they need this stuff ASAP!"_

 _The Wrecker looked at the trailer that contained the medical equipment, then to his friend, and, then, to the place where the battle would take place; and, finally, sighing, he told the Neutral to stay close to him. He would help the laborer to get through. Breakdown smiled and thanked him for this, saying that the medics were really needing this things. Bulkhead simply laughed and told him to keep his thanks for when he reached the clinic, before transform and head towards the bridge, followed closely by his friend._

… … …

"It took us a while, but we managed to force the 'Cons into retreat, and clear the bridge." The Autobot said, remembering his old gang. He could practically see Rotorstorm tossing a guy towards Springer, who, finally, punched a dent into the bot's chest with such a strength that everyone thought that the Decepticon wouldn't be able to get up again; meanwhile, Wheeljack and Seaspray were dealing with another group of enemies that tried to overwhelm them. Fortunately for all of them, Perceptor was covering the team from a nearby roof. "Breakdown actually helped us at some point. Since he used to be a laborer, his armor was prepare to resist almost any damage… Such as mine." He chuckled, lost in the memory. "We made a pretty good team that day. In fact, I offered him to join the Wreckers."

"Woah! Seriously?!" Miko gawked, receiving a nod. At this answer, the teenager frowned and averted her eyes for half second before look at her guardian's holoform in the eyes once again. "But… Then… He was a one of the team too?" She asked, confusion written all over her face.

"Nah… He said he wanted to remain Neutral; that he was a construction worker, not a soldier." Bulkhead said, shrugging. "I respected his choice, and let him go. However, it didn't mean that he didn't help me out whenever we ran into each other in the middle of the field." He added with a smirk, which fell quickly. "That's exactly what he was doing the day he backstabbed me…"

… … …

 _They were having trouble with a Decepticon squad known as the Stunticons. The rumors said that their leader, some mech called Motormaster, was a powerful warrior, and that he controlled his teammates with iron cladded hand. None of the other teams had been successful against those guys, so Prime ordered a double-front attack against them; and, one of those fronts would be composed by the Wreckers. Unfortunately, the message about the 'Cons getting wise about the plan didn't arrive on time… So, Springer and his men found themselves entering the battlefield before the Stunticons' arrival._

 _Even worse: there were yet some Neutrals in the territory! Most of them belonged to rescue teams, and were dragging injured warriors back to the nearby clinics. Among them, the bulky, blue figure of a mech stood out in the distance, as he kept the enemy soldiers away from the evacuation._

 _"Breakdown!" Bulkhead called, recognizing his friend._

 _"Ya know that guy, Bulk?" Wheeljack, who became close friends with the green bot, asked._

 _"Yeah, we worked on the same construction team! He's one of my pals!" He explained._

 _Right at that moment, the blue laborer managed to turn off the lights of an incoming 'Con with one of his hammers. The poor drone flew several feet on the air, before hitting the ground with a loud clank._

 _"You sure he's not a warrior…? 'Cause he's practically mimicking Impactor…" Rotorstorm pointed out, quickly receiving a punch from the alluded Wrecker._

 _"Don't compare me with that guy! I'm ten times stronger!"_

 _But Bulkhead wasn't paying attention to their bickering: Breakdown was currently outnumbered, and, by the looks of it, he was starting to feel tired. Knowing his friend wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer, the green bot apologized to his superior, before transform and speed up toward his buddy. Once within battle-distance, he transformed again and backed him up. The blue mech, noticing this, smiled and joked, saying that he was wondering when he was planning to show up._

 _The Wrecker smirked, yet, before he could retort, someone sucker punched him._

 _"Bulkhead!" The blue laborer called, running next to him._

 _"I'm okay…" The warrior said, holding his head, trying to recollect his thoughts._

 _When he looked up, he knew what happened: the Stunticons arrived._

… … …

"After that day, Breakdown joined the Stunticons, and fought for the Decepticon cause. I never understood why… Until now." He admitted, sparing one look to the sick bay, where Knock Out was bickering with Ratchet, as the older medic ran some tests over the incubation pod, checking on the hatchling.

Miko noticed the nostalgia in her friend's eyes, and realized that, despite of the rivalry that grew between them during the war, the Wrecker still missed how things were before it; when he and the Stunticon were yet friends, when they could laugh about anything. Maybe that was why he never issued the subject; because it was painful to remember…

Sighing, the girl patted her guardian's holoform in the shoulder, dedicating him a smile.

Bulkhead returned the gesture and kept helping the teenager with her pictures until it was time for her to return home. As usual, after Miko was back in Japan, the green bot went to look for Wheeljack for, either, a lobbing match, or a spar. Nonetheless, this time, he found himself entering the med bay, where Knock Out still was.

"Yes?" The Velocitronian asked, arching an eyebrow when he noticed the Wrecker standing at the doorframe.

Ratchet, who was there too, turned when he heard his colleague, finding the warrior staring at them.

"Is everything alright, Bulkhead?" The older medic queried.

The green mech snapped out of his trance, and nodded; then, he walked up to the red surgeon… And offered him a servo to take. Knock Out stared at it and blinked a couple times, before look up to the Autobot's eyes, questioning his intentions.

"You said Breakdown wanted to apologize when everything was over, right?" Bulkhead said, receiving a nod when the medic remembered what he was referring to. "I never had the chance to accept his apology… But I can accept yours in his memory."

It took a few minutes for the Velocitronian to overcome his surprise, but, in the end, he shook hands with the warrior, smiling. He knew that this is what Breakdown would've wanted…

Now, they could both move on.

* * *

 **Ok, now we only have one last story to go; so, as soon as I finish Solar Flare's one-shot I'll update.**

 **Again, sorry about the delay.**

 **Hope you liked Bulkhead's story!**

 **See ya!**


	28. Solar Flare (OC)

**So, finally, the last one-shot is here...**

 **As I did with Nightglider, whose brother ends up betraying him, I decided to show how Solar Flare and Knock Out were before, when they still considered each other friends. Plus, this was a great chance to show my other two OCs: Hermes and Starnova, their parents.**

 **Warning: English isn't my mother language, so there might be some grammar mistakes in here.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** ** _Transformers_** **franchise nor its characters. It is a registered trademark of Hasbro.**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Long before being a Decepticon, Solar Flare was just another Velocitronian femme. She had two lovely creators, a nice little brother, and a promising future. But, one day, she lost it all… Even herself._

 **Genre:** Angst

* * *

 **-SOLAR FLARE-**

 **Broken**

The clinic was one of the few places she disliked the most. It smelt funny, and the medics weren't very nice. Eventually, she asked her sire to lift her up, and the blue and golden mech did so diligently, while offering her a warm smile; then, his optics were, once again, staring at the door in front of them. Right… Carrier has disappeared through it a good amount of kliks ago. What happened? Was everything ok? She should've returned by now…

Sire let out a stressful sigh that made her look at him in worry. He noticed this.

"Everything's fine, Flare. I'm sure everything's fine." He cooed her with a loving smile. Then, he looked at the door once again, as his arms started to rock the sparkling he was holding from one side to the other. He was really anxious by now.

With Solar Flare, their first born, they were looking forward to have an offspring, as most newlyweds does. For so, finding out that Starnova, his bondmate, was carrying wasn't such a shock… But when, a couple quartex ago, his femme called him from the clinic and gave him the news, the poor racer nearly crashed against one of the stadium walls during his daily training. It was totally unexpected, unplanned. They were unprepared for this child. Biting his lip, he rose his eyes pleadingly. _"Please, please, please… Let the kid be fine."_ It was strange for the doctors to delay this much. The hatch should've opened already! Did something happened? Was the hatchling fine? What happened?!

Suddenly, the door swooshed open and a curvy reddish pink femme of deep blue optics and white protoform appeared in sight. Starnova. The mech's spark-beat picked up as he approached his mate, who was tenderly cradling a tiny figure between her arms; and, as soon as he got next to her, the racer and his first child had a perfect view of the new member of their family.

"It's a mech." The femme breathed with a smile, never looking away from the newly born.

He had red armor, silver protoform and white faceplate. The hatchling was cuddled against his carrier's chest-plates with his optics shut, simply trying to get as much heat as he could from the femme's spark; just as any newborn would, by mere instinct. However, seeing that he had no intentions of moving anytime soon, Hermes reached out for the little mech's tiny hand. Even in his slumber the child gripped his sire's digit, making the grownups smile, and Solar Flare arch an eyebrow. Then, the little one stirred and opened his optics ―deep, navy blue, like the bio-lights on his back―, before turn to look at the two strangers who were staring at him.

"He has your optics." Hermes commented to his mate, smiling, his spark at ease now.

" _He_ needs a designation." Starnova reminded her beloved with a sly smirk, and an arched eyebrow.

"Wha-?! I…! You know I have _no talent_ when it comes to names!" The poor racer stammered, optics wide as he stared into his bondmate's face. Then, he glanced his new son's big, bright optics, as the child kept staring at him, trying to decide who he was. "Can't you just…?"

"No. I named Solar Flare; this one is up to you." The femme reminded him of the deal they made, not so long ago.

Hermes deflated. He had been thinking possible designations over the past few quartex; he even made a list of his favorite options, but, now that he was finally able of looking at the little one's face… His processor couldn't think of _one_ decent name. And, then, as he saw the child's shiny armor and astonishing optics, it hit him.

"Knock Out." It came out of his lips so naturally, that there was no room for doubt. It was fitting; and it seemed to please the little hatchling since it gurgled, making his sire chuckle. "What do you think, sweetspark?" Hermes asked his daughter.

The young, champagne colored femme looked at her new brother… not really sure of what to do. She simply nodded, and her creators went to tell the medics what the mech's name would be. Solar Flare was yet examining the new born, when the old mech who helped him open the hatch were he gestated for the past stellar-cycle walked up to him once again. He seemed troubled by something.

"Um… I'm sorry but, the scans showed a trouble with the little one." He said, cautiously, cerulean optics staring at the two adults who were preparing to leave the clinic.

"What you mean?" Hermes asked, putting his daughter on the floor. The little femme grabbed her sire's hand and, also, stared at the doctor.

"The results… His core temperature is slightly above the normal." The statement made the creators turn to their new child in worry. "It may be nothing, but I would like to run a new scan over him, if you don't mind." The medic hurried to say, extending his hands towards the family in a soothing way.

"Of course." The blue and golden mech agreed with a nod, hoping that it was a simple malfunction of the scanner they used…

But it wasn't. Solar Flare could tell by the looks on her parents that it wasn't a mistake. Something was wrong with her new baby brother… But, what? He looked fine. He even laughed when the doctors examined him! What could be the problem? Nonetheless, all her creators did was thank the medics and take her, and Knock Out, home.

Their house had plenty room, all thanks to her dad's reputation as an undefeated champion. No Velocitronian was faster than him in the tracks, and, for so, he was much respected ―plus, his incomings provided them with everything they ever needed. The front door was bright blue, and had large windows on the sides; they also had a balcony on the first floor, which Starnova liked to ornament with crystal flowers. Inside, the family room was sober, but it was kind of elegant too; on the back was one large glass table on the center, a holo-screen that the adults used to watch the news ―mostly about the races―; on the front side of the room, there were a bunch of couches, and near of them were shelves with datapads. On the back there was, also, the kitchen's door. It was a big room too. They, sometimes, refueled there when they were in a hurry.

There, at the main room, was also a staircase that led to the first floor, where the bedrooms and wash rack were located. There was also an attic, but they used it as a storage mostly… Solar Flare hated to go there, for she believed that monsters and other creepy stuff lived in that room. Besides it was dark, and dusty.

At the time, however, Knock Out seemed too busy in taking in every little detail from his new home. For example: his creators' prizes, which were proudly shown in a corner. Of course he had no clue of what those things were, but anything shiny would automatically call a hatchling's attention… Family holographic pictures were also fascinating for him.

Finally, they took him to his new room, right next to Solar Flare's, and right in front of their creators' one. Everything was already prepared: toys, holographic projectors, and, of course, the cradle. Starnova kneeled down and grabbed one of the little cars from the toys' box, before show it to her new son. At first he seemed a bit shy, until he understood what it was and, soon, grabbed the item too.

Hermes couldn't help but chuckle as the hatchling started to play with his carrier. What the doctors said… No. He didn't care. It was his son. Nothing else mattered. _"Come to think of it…"_ He turned to look at his daughter, his first born, who was yet standing at the hatchling's room's doorframe. Smiling, he gestured her to come closer, and, although a bit slowly, she did as told. Once the little femme was next to him, the racer kneeled down too and placed a hand over his bondmate's shoulder to call her attention; then, he looked at Solar Flare. Understanding, Starnova got closer to her daughter… and handled her the hatchling.

The older child wasn't sure of what to do with her brother. She didn't even know how to hold him! So, she simply kept him there… Her hands under his armpits, and her golden optics staring awkwardly into his big navy blue ones. They blinked a couple times, in silence. She, not knowing what to do with the baby; he, oblivious of whom this new person was. But there was something familiar about her… And, then, just like that, he started to laugh again. He… accepted her. In no time, Solar Flare was hugging her new brother, accepting him too.

Hermes and Starnova gazed each other, smiling, before rest their foreheads against one another's. Just like that, they had two offspring instead of one. It was uncommon; not impossible, of course, but uncommon. Usually, couples never strived to have more than one child. It seemed that Knock Out was more than decided to come into existence… To be part of their family. For some odd reason, they had to have a second. So, they will.

"Alright, young lady." The carrier suddenly said, extending her arms to receive the baby. Her daughter complied. "It's past your berth time." She continued, once her son was with her again.

Solar Flare pouted in protest.

"But, carrier…"

"You know the rules, sweetspark." Hermes interrupted, and quickly grabbed a hold on his daughter, before get on his feet. The kid, reluctantly, wrapped her small arms and legs around her sire, who was now supporting her on his arms. "Off you go." He turned to leave, when the hatchling whined.

"See? He wants me to stay." Solar Flare said, looking at her sire in the optics.

The grownup chuckled and shook his head with his eyes closed.

"You two will have plenty time to play tomorrow." He reasoned.

"But…"

"Darling, your sire has training tomorrow morning." Starnova reminded her daughter. "Time to recharge."

She didn't want to… But, when both adults were saying the same thing, it was useless to resist. So, the champagne colored child simply wished goodnight to her brother and let her sire carry her away. Once in her room, Hermes tucked in his first born, and was about to leave when she piped out a question she has been wondering ever since the clinic: what was wrong with the baby? Why the medics seemed so worried? Why sire and carrier were so worried?

Sighing, the racer preferred to explain everything right away, and sat at the berth's brim.

"Something's… wrong with your brother's cooling system." He said. Solar Flare arched an eyebrow, not following. The adult bit his lip and scratched the back of his neck, trying to find a better way of explaining. "You know that our bodies are like puzzles, right?" The sparkling nodded. "And, for a puzzle to work properly, each part has to work with the others; you know… match." She nodded again. "There's a piece called 'cooling system', it makes sure that our core remains at the same temperature at all times. It's an important part; without it, we could either freeze or overheat."

"What does this has to do with Knock Out?" Solar Flare asked.

"Your brother's cooling system is mismatched, darling. It has a glitch that doesn't allow him to regulate his inner temperature properly…" Hermes finally explained. His daughter optics widened in both, understanding and fear. "His core is warmer than it should, and his systems doesn't seem to notice."

"Why didn't the medics cure him?!" The sparkling demanded, making the adult smile sadly.

"They can't. It's not like they didn't want to, it's just…" He shrugged and averted his optics for a moment, looking for words. "Unfortunately, not everything can be repaired. This can't." Then, he grabbed one of his daughter's servos with his own. "Solar Flare, I need you to promise me something, ok?" She nodded. "This glitch will allow your brother to have a normal life, ok? It's nothing too serious… As long as he doesn't race."

"But… Race is all we do." She said, remembering that it was the only thing that Velocitronians seemed to be good at.

Hermes smiled.

"No, is not. I'm a racer because that's what I do best; but there are others who are good at things that I'm not, like your teachers at the institute, the medics at the clinic, or the engineers that keeps our cities going, keeping us safe." Then, his optics changed a shade. The worry was back. "And I need you to help us to keep your brother safe, ok?"

"Ok." She promised.

"That's my girl." Satisfied, Hermes kissed her forehead and got up. "Goodnight, sweetspark."

"Good night, sire…"

… … …

Starnova was cleaning some dishes at the kitchen, when there was some ruckus on top of her, on the first floor. Then…

"Come back here!"

"Catch me if you can!"

Rolling her optics, the femme simply smiled and kept drying the glass on her hands, shaking her head. _"Kids…"_ She thought, as the sound of fast footsteps echoed through the ceiling. They've been like this ever since Knock Out learnt to walk…

Meanwhile, at the family room, Hermes was putting back a data-pad at the shelves, when Solar Flare, who was entering her youngling years, suddenly shielded behind his legs, almost making him lose balance. He looked down to his daughter, before his son came down the stairs calling for his sister. _"Not again…"_ The racer thought, as both sparklings started to chase each other around the house. Apparently, the older sibling took something from the younger one for the tenth time that quartex.

Soon enough, they were in opposite sides of the table.

"I'm not kidding, Flare! Give it back!" Knock Out demanded, frowning.

"Oh, you mean _this_?" She asked, tauntingly, showing a memory card that she snatched from the younger sparkling when he was distracted. "You want me to give _this_ back?" She pressed, smirking and arching an eyebrow at the item.

Growling, the red sibling crawled under the table to try to catch his annoying sister; unfortunately, she leaped aside, escaping.

"Flare!" Knock Out barked, getting back on his feet, and resuming pursuit. Finally, he caught her by the wrist. Now, all he had to do was get his memory card back… But wrest with his sister wasn't as easy as it looked like. "C'mon, Flare! I need it!" He grunted, stretching out, trying to get a hold on his belongings. Unfortunately, being the older, Solar Flare's arms were longer…

Luckily for the younger sibling, a blue servo snatched the card from the youngling's grasp. When they both looked up, Hermes was staring at them with his arms crossed, and his eyebrows furrowed. Both siblings offered him an embarrassed grin, pretending innocence. The adult rose an optic, before return the card to Knock Out, who thanked him and returned to his room. Hermes watched him go.

"Not so fast, young lady." He warned, smirking…

…and the femme stopped trying to tiptoe her way out of this.

"What did I tell you about messing with your brother's belongings?" He warned, turning to look at her.

She sighed and looked back at him, rubbing her right arm.

"Sorry, papa. I was just trying to make him take a break; you know, have some fun." She explained.

The adult sighed tiredly, and rubbed his forehead, before telling his daughter to go and apologize to her brother. Nodding, Solar Flare agreed and walked towards the staircase. Soon enough, Hermes heard her climbing up.

Upstairs, the youngling went straight to her brother's bedroom and opened the door, finding him back on his computer, working in some science project of his. When concentrated as at that moment, Knock Out looked much older. Sometimes it was hard to remember that he was yet a sparkling…

The red mech suddenly looked to his side, noticing the open door and his sister staring at him; and his reaction was immediate: he saved his work and covered the memory card he had plugged into his computer. Seeing this, Solar Flare rolled her optics and crossed her arms.

"Relax. I'm not going to do that again…" She said, lazily lying against the doorframe. "Actually, I came to apologize for it. I shouldn't have snatched your memory card, I'm sorry."

Although doubtful, Knock Out slowly retreated his hands and dropped his defensive stance; however, his optics never left his sister's figure. It wasn't until she entered the room and sat on his berth's brim that he convinced himself of her intentions.

"It's… ok." He mumbled, sitting on his chair once again. "But don't do it again!" He warned, raising a digit and frowning.

She smiled, and picked up her feet, hugging her knees. The femme dedicated an honest nod to him. The sparkling mimicked her and relaxed; then, he resumed his work. Watch his digits move across the keyboard was mesmerizing. His hands were so fast! _"He can't race, but he sure can type ten thousand words per minute…"_ The youngling thought, staring at her brother's abilities.

Feeling optics on him, the sparkling checked over his shoulder, and, noticing his sister's stare, his fans turned on in embarrassment.

"Flare!" He complained, shutting his optics.

"What?" She asked, confusedly blinking.

"Stop staring! It's weird!"

"Excuse me?" An optic-ridge arched, as her optics narrowed and a sly smirk grew on her lips. Knock Out knew that expression far too well, reason why he started to get up so he could back away. "You're calling me weird?" She pressed, getting off the berth too.

"Flare… No." The mech warned, hands standing out in a defensive position. He knew what was coming, reason why he was trying to stay as serious as possible, but a smile was threatening with crept on his lips any moment now. " _No_. Sire told you not to…"

But it was useless. Before he could finish his sentence, she sprinted off the berth after him, and a new chase started; but, this time, both of them were laughing. Trying to stay out of reach, Knock Out went down the stairs, returning to the family room, where his creators were placing the plates on the table, preparing everything for dinner. Both adults, noticing his sudden reappearance, focused on him with interest; yet, no explanation came, as Solar Flare soon came into view too, and the little mech dashed out of her reach. She went after him, always minding to give him some advantage.

After all, they both knew that she was faster than that…

So it wasn't a surprise when the youngling finally caught her brother. Both siblings fell on the couch where a tickling battle started. Knock Out, unsurprisingly, found himself pinned underneath his sister.

"N-no! Ha, ha! Flare! Sto-… Stop it!" He managed to plea between laughs, desperately trying to catch her arms to stop the tickling.

"Yield and I will!"

"M-make me!"

"That's enough." A third voice announced, splitting the siblings.

Starnova. With a patience that only a carrier could have, the femme helped her children up, and fixed them the best she could. In the back, both creations could see their sire still holding the camera. The racer was yet smiling, happy of seeing his offspring playing together. His spark was content with knowing that there was no rivalry or jealousy between the siblings; and, through the bond, he could feel similar things coming from his mate's spark.

"Clean yourselves for dinner." The adult femme told her kids, who nodded and went to the wash rack to do as told.

A gentle arm wrapped around the reddish pink femme's waist, as kind lips met the back of her neck. The warmth of infinite love filled the bond she had with Hermes, whose body was now plastered against hers.

"I think we're doing a good job." He whispered to his mate.

"They're yet too young to tell." She retorted, turning to look at him with a smirk.

"Still, I think we may be doing this just fine." Hermes shrugged.

"Time will tell." She finished, placing a kiss on her bondmate's lips.

As an answer, the racer nuzzled his beloved one with adoration. He was so glad for his femme and his offspring… He had everything he ever wanted and more, all thanks to them. He wouldn't change a thing. His arms tightened a bit around Starnova's waist, as the femme lied her head on his shoulder.

Unfortunately, their kids soon returned, ready to refuel… catching the adults' romantic exchange.

" _Yuck…_ " Knock Out muttered in disgust at the sights, while his sister simply chuckled covering her mouth.

Thanks to this, their creators let go from each other ―their sire clearing his throat―, and led their creations to the table so they could eat. _"Right… He's still too young."_ Hermes reminded himself with a half-smile. After all, he was a bit older when he started liking the femmes; at Knock Out's current age, they weren't particularly attractive. And that's when he realized: his son was reaching the age in which he would have to… _explain_ , some matters to him. After all, Starnova did so with Solar Flare a couple stellar-cycles ago; meaning that their son would be his responsibility. Hopefully, he wouldn't scar the poor kid for life.

Amazingly, it didn't. In fact, Knock Out seemed to take biological information much better than his sister… Good. Because the racer didn't want to go through those two joors again… However, the experience made him realize something: his sparklings were steadily growing. Soon enough, his son would become a youngling too, and his daughter would be nearly an adult. Sighing, the blue mech noticed that, even for a species as long-lived as his, time seemed to pass way too fast in some aspects. Especially for Cybertronians, whose bodies changed from sparkling to youngling in the blink of an eye; only when they were fully developed adults they didn't seem to age anymore…

But, no time to think about that now.

"You're doing great, sweetspark. Just go gently on the next curve." Hermes indicated through his communication's channel to Solar Flare.

The young femme was currently training her abilities on the tracks, preparing herself for a race that would take place next quarter. If she could make it to the podium, then, she would be able to enter the next _Benefit 500_ , the first step to become a professional racer… Just like her sire.

Starnova and Knock Out were there too, rooting for the champagne colored youngling, who was now drifting to take the next loop faster. The little red mech was holding a data-pad between his hands, since he thought that he would be able to keep working on his own projects; but, the moment his sister transformed and started to race around, he couldn't look away from her. It wasn't the first time he saw Solar Flare training or racing, but it was the first time she may actually start her own career; so, of course he was excited!

Only one little detail…

"She's loosing stability on the back tires." He noticed, as his sister's showed to be having trouble with her skidding self.

"Yeah… She's repeating your carrier's mistakes…" Starnova commented with a soft chuckle, while wrapping an arm around her son's back. "Remember the first time you saw me, Hermes?" She asked, looking at her mate.

"The time you dented the track's safety wall? How to forget? You sure _left an impression_." The racer laughed… And soon received something landing on his head. "Hey!" He turned, wincing and massaging the back of his helm.

Starnova simply crossed her arms and looked away, while Knock Out tried his best not to chortle out; his data-pad was missing, so the blue adult had a pretty much clear idea of what his Conjux used to hit him.

« _What's the joke? What did I miss?_ » Solar Flare wondered, calling to her brother after seeing him laughing when she passed next to where they were.

"Carrier and sire discussing the day they met." He whispered, trying not to be heard by his creators.

« _The dent on the wall?_ » She chuckled, and laughed at the confirmation. « _By the…! Ha, ha! Our sire **sure** knows how to treat the ladies, don't you think?_ »

"Enough to bond our carrier…" The sparkling shrugged, kind of entertained by the looks that the adult femme was sending towards his sire, who tried to concentrate on the duty at hand.

« _True. Guess that he must have some charm then._ »

"For carrier, it seems so…"

The youngling prepared to take the final loop, when she saw something… Or, better said, someone entering the stadium. _"Oh, no…"_ Knowing what was about to happen, the champagne colored femme raced back to her family and transformed; unfortunately, she was too far. By the time Solar Flare completed the turn, the newcomers were already where her family was. She hurried to Knock Out's side. The younger sibling welcomed her protective hug, as his carrier and sire stepped between him and the other mech. It was a racer too, one of deep green paint. His designation was Razorwind, and he was an old competitor of Hermes. In fact, Solar Flare was aware that he once pretended her carrier, back when Hermes and Starnova were just friends. All he got out was a slap on the face from said femme, and a public rejection.

Said episode, plus the fact that she bonded with Hermes, who came out victorious every single time they raced, did nothing but increase the grudge that the green racer had for the blue one, to the point in which it turned into pure hate.

What the champagne colored youngling didn't know was that this bot happened to be the sire of a young mechling: Silverstrike. Also known as the sparkling who has been bullying her brother ever since he entered the Insitute. The youngling could still remember the day she found out about it… Turns out that Knock Out was hiding the scratches of his fights with new coats of paint, and lots of buffing ―Solar Flare happened to caught him red handed. Being discorvered, the little mech confessed everything to his sire and carrier; and his creators went to talk about the bullying that the red sparkling was suffering with the Institute's chairman. As a result, Silverstrike was suspended for over a quartex.

It seems that his sire was now trying to make Solar Flare's take back the charges; but, no matter what he said or yelled, Hermes didn't back down. Staying his ground, the blue racer managed to make Razorwind leave, next to his offspring.

A tender hand on his shoulder made the racer turn away, only to lock gazes with his Conjux, who offered him some comfort through their bond, and a warm smile. She was glad to be his bondmate, and for the two precious sparklings they had together. Starnova didn't need to say it out loud. He understood every silent word, as he returned the smile and rested his forehead against hers for a moment, before turning to look at his kids. Solar Flare was yet embracing her brother in a protective way, while Knock Out had his optics locked on the retreating figure of Silverstrike. Hermes' smile fell...

Starnova patted his chest and gestured to the exit. He nodded with a sigh.

"Alright, how about we stop for some treats on our way home?" He proposed, and the change on his sparklings' faces was immediate.

... ... ...

That night-cycle, Solar Flare heard a soft knock at her door. Immediately after, Knock Out pocked his head inside her room.

"Flare? You awake?" He whispered.

"I am now…" The youngling muttered, sitting up on her berth and yawning. The sparkling walked inside and sat on her bed's brim. "What's up?" She asked, rubbing her optics.

"Can't recharge…" The red bot said with a shrug, looking his dangling feet. "What do you think Razorwind wanted?"

"What he said… To make sire and carrier take back the charges, so Silverstrike can go back to the Institute." Solar Flare answered, matter-of-fact, shrugging and hugging her knees.

The sparkling looked away. Ever since that kid was suspended, classes has become less troublesome; in fact, he was almost happy at the Institute. After all, he wasn't the fastest racer, and never would be; but he was the best student they had, because his processor could assimilate data faster. He was a fast learner.

"I… I've been thinking…" He stammered. "I've been checking out Cybertron's Academy… Through the data-net."

That was enough to make her regain full consciousness.

"What?!"

Fearing that his sister would wake up their creators, Knock Out covered her mouth with both hands, while hushing her. The younger sibling made her promise not to shout anymore before let go.

"Cybertron?" Solar Flare questioned. "But that would mean that you…"

"That I would have to move away from Velocitron, I know, but…" He sighed. "There's nothing here for me anyway. My speed won't take me anywhere, and I don't like the idea of have to deal with my current classmates for the rest of my life. Delta City isn't so big, you know?" He finished with a roll of his eyes. "So… I just thought it would be good to… You know… Check all the options."

Sighing, the youngling dropped back onto her berth's surface, massaging her head.

"And we're having this conversation _now_ because…?" She complained.

The younger sibling shrugged.

"I couldn't recharge, and you're my best friend." He said, surprising Solar Flare. Noticing, he smirked. "Plus, you're my sister, it's my job to annoy you."

Chuckling, she pushed him off her bed and told him to go back to his room. Fighting a laugh, the sparkling did as told; albeit, as he reached to open the door, his sister called him once more. Solar Flare walked up to him and gave her brother a hug, promising that, whatever he chooses to do, he would be fine. Nodding into the embrace, Knock Out told his sister that she was also going to be the best racer there was.

… … …

But she never became a true professional racer…

Razorwind and his goons assaulted her and her brother at the exit of the stadium, right after Solar Flare classified for the _Benefit 500_. As a result, some of her inner systems suffered severe damage, reason why she was physically unable to compete anymore.

The medics declared her beyond repair.

Racing was her life. And it was taken from her.

So, she ran. She went to Cybertron, and, when the war broke out, she chose sides.

Turns out she chose wrong.

The Decepticons lost. Twice, since Shockwave's and Starscream's plan ended in failure too.

And, to make things worse, right after the disastrous battle, when she was tired and wounded, Solar Flare was ambushed and captured by fleshies. Now, she was being used to test the durability of some Cybertronian-sized puppets. So far, she has defeated them all.

In that place, in constant isolation, Solar Flare couldn't help but revive her memories one by one… And, suddenly, a single phrase started to repeat in loop within her processor: the night in which Knock Out called her his best friend… And suddenly, the moment in which he discovered she was a Decepticon overlapped with said memory. Her spark ached. No. She needed to get out of that remembrance.

But she couldn't.

She missed those days… Velocitron, her creators, her… Her brother. She wished things could be as before.

Solar Flare remembered the battles that she stood with Knock Out ever since she awoke at this planet. In all those occasions, he told her that he didn't want to fight… Not with her… _"He's probably one of them now… An Autobot. And, no doubt, that femme, the Wrecker, is with him too."_ The lieutenant thought with a sigh. She couldn't help but feel like crying as the realization of her solitude started to fall upon her.

… … …

Little she knew that, even after everything that happened, Knock Out was yet trying to find her. Because, deep down, he hoped that there was yet a chance of redemption for Solar Flare, his sister, his childhood's best friend… One of his first heroes.

* * *

 **And, so does _Redemption: Afterwards_ ends. I left it open 'cuz, as I always say, I tend to imagine my stories within the same timeline; so, I was planning a follow-up for this. My other fic _Out In the Open_ was supposed to be said follow-up, since it happens after _Redemption_ , reason why some elements comes from there; but, it also is a completely different story, which main character is now Optimus, not Knock Out. So it's not a sequel, but it keeps exploring the life of the Autobots now that their team has extended... quite a lot.**

 **Thanks to all those who followed both, _Redemption_ and _Redemption: Afterwards._ Sorry that it took me this long to finish it.**

 **Hope to see you soon!**


End file.
